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Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to identify structural gender challenges that the deployment and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agri-food raises. The divergence in the use and benefits of AI in agri-food raises many concerns about disadvantage, unfair distribution of resources and benefits, and inequality.

Paper long abstract:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-powered robots offer real potential to help alleviate and reduce many of the dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs done by, particularly, women in the Global South. At the same time the agri-food domain and computer science have traditionally been male-dominated. Research on the ethical, legal, and social aspects (ELSA) of digital technologies in agri-food, has shown that digitalisation will most likely exacerbate existing divides, including the gender divide. The impact of AI on gender dimensions in agri-food, however, has hardly been researched.

This paper aims to identify structural gender challenges that the deployment and use of AI in agri-food raises. Initial literature review results show that the use of AI could harm diversity and inclusion in the sector in multiple ways. First, digitalisation of agri-food may cause further disenfranchisement and push women out of the industry. This is particularly noticeable in the Global South where the agri-food sector comprises up to 80% of women. Second, the use and deployment of AI on farms are further expected to mainly be deployed on wealthy, large, monocultural farms. This may result in an increased digital divide between farms in the Global North and farms in the Global South. Third, it could also harm the industry because it needs to attract more young farmers to replace an ageing, declining demographic of farmers. The divergence in the use and benefit of AI in the agri-food sector thus raises many concerns about disadvantage, unfair distribution of resources and benefits, and inequality.