Artificial Intelligence (AI) Onto-norms and Gender Equality: Unveiling the Invisible Gender Norms in AI Ecosystems in the Context of Africa

TL;DR

This paper investigates how underlying social norms, called ontonorms, influence gender representations and practices in AI ecosystems within Africa, affecting AI design, training, and user engagement.

Contribution

It uncovers the role of ontonorms in shaping gender norms and representations in AI, highlighting their impact on content, behavior, and gender identity inclusion.

Findings

Ontonorms influence gender representation in AI content.

Gender norms are embedded in AI training data and design.

User engagement with AI varies across gender groups.

Abstract

The study examines how ontonorms propagate certain gender practices in digital spaces through character and the norms of spaces that shape AI design, training and use. Additionally the study explores the different user behaviours and practices regarding whether, how, when, and why different gender groups engage in and with AI driven spaces. By examining how data and content can knowingly or unknowingly be used to drive certain social norms in the AI ecosystems, this study argues that ontonorms shape how AI engages with the content that relates to women. Ontonorms specifically shape the image, behaviour, and other media, including how gender identities and perspectives are intentionally or otherwise, included, missed, or misrepresented in building and training AI systems.