A ciência como fator da igualdade de gênero na era da inteligência artificial: um panorama sobre a pesquisa de IA na pós-graduação no Brasil

Abstract

This study investigates the participation of women in the development of scientific research related to artificial intelligence in postgraduate programs in Brazil, in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 proposed by the United Nations (UN), which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative elements to map and analyze theses and dissertations produced up to 2023 that include the term “artificial intelligence” in the title and abstract fields. A total of 556 records from the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (BDTD) were analyzed, classified by gender, and categorized by thematic area. The results indicate that, although women represent only 29.9% of the total theses and dissertations produced, there is a trend of increasing female participation, particularly from 2018 onwards. The main areas of interest include AI in Healthcare, Intellectual Property, Technical Applications of AI and Neural Networks, Rights, and AI in Judicial and Governmental Systems. The research highlights the need for policies that promote greater gender equality in science, emphasizing the importance of including female perspectives for the ethical and inclusive development of AI. It concludes that while progress has been made, gender equality in scientific research on AI still faces significant challenges. This dissertation makes a significant contribution to Information Science by highlighting gender inequality in AI-related research, shedding light on these disparities and paving the way for further studies aimed at promoting a more inclusive and equal society, particularly concerning knowledge production and the promotion of informational justice.