The Gender Code: Gendering the Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence

Gender is increasingly recognized in AI governance frameworks, but inconsistently: The paper finds that binding regulations like the EU AI Act, soft law instruments such as UNESCO's Recommendations on AI Ethics, and initiatives like the Global Partnership on AI are beginning to integrate gender concerns into their frameworks, signaling a shift toward explicit gender-related provisions in international AI policy.

Current governance approaches risk remaining superficial without intersectionality: The analysis reveals that while gender is being addressed, most frameworks fail to adequately engage with intersectionality—meaning they don't account for how gender intersects with race, class, disability, and other identities—which limits their ability to prevent harm to the most vulnerable populations.

Enforcement mechanisms for gender protections are largely absent: Despite emerging gender-related provisions, the paper identifies a critical gap: most AI governance documents lack robust enforcement mechanisms to ensure that gender protections are actually implemented and monitored, potentially reducing these commitments to symbolic gestures rather than meaningful action.

Moving beyond "tokenism" requires binding commitments and inclusive processes: The paper argues that effective gender-sensitive AI governance must go beyond token acknowledgments of gender issues; it requires enforceable standards and inclusive participation in governance design to prevent AI systems from reinforcing existing gender-based inequalities.