AI’s next test — reaching India’s informal women worker, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• India's vision for Viksit Bharat by 2047 emphasizes inclusive growth, requiring AI's productivity gains to reach all sections of society.
• Approximately 82% of working women in India are engaged in informal employment, according to a 2018 ILO report.
• The India AI Governance Guidelines, released in November 2025, include principles of fairness and equity to ensure gender-responsive outcomes.
• A 2024 study of Farmer.Chat across 12 states showed 61% of women users reported improved quality of life within 45 days.
• India has established significant AI infrastructure, including the IndiaAI Mission, BHASHINI multilingual platform, and AI Governance Guidelines.

AI and Women.jpg

Detailed Insights:

• AI is transforming value chains in sectors like agriculture, logistics, healthcare, and financial services, necessitating careful design choices to avoid amplifying structural inequalities.
• UN Women has cautioned that without gender-responsive design, testing, and oversight, AI risks amplifying stereotypes, discrimination, and digital violence.
• Rural women constitute 76.9% of the agricultural workforce, as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24, making them a key demographic for AI interventions.
• Gender Impact Assessments are crucial for AI systems affecting women's economic opportunities, welfare access, or safety, examining outcomes across sex, location, caste, disability, and work status.
• Gender Responsive Budgeting offers a practical framework for evaluating AI investments to ensure they benefit women and address specific barriers like access, language, safety, or capability.
• AI literacy should be integrated into existing government programs such as Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), and Skill India.
• Digital safety is paramount for women's economic participation, with measures like the IT (Amendment) Rules, 2021, and proposed mandatory labeling of AI-generated synthetic content.
• The National Commission for Women has provided evidence-based recommendations for reviewing cyber laws to protect women's digital rights.
• The India AI Impact Summit 2026 showcased a growing ecosystem of practitioners and innovators committed to shaping AI for humanity and inclusive growth.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Viksit Bharat: India's vision to become a developed nation by 2047, coinciding with the centennial of its independence.
• Informal Employment: Work that is not regulated or protected by labor laws and social security, often lacking benefits and stability.
• Gender Impact Assessments: A systematic evaluation of how policies, programs, or systems affect different genders, aiming to identify and address inequalities.
• Gender Responsive Budgeting: An approach to fiscal policy that analyzes government budgets for their effects on genders and aims to ensure equitable resource distribution.
• AI Literacy: The ability to understand, use, and critically evaluate artificial intelligence tools and concepts.