Recap

CAFIID’s Gender Lens Investing Community of Practice had a fantastic discussion on AI and gender equity in our March meeting. 

Thanks to Mara Bolis, founder and CEO of First Prompt where she advises founders and non-profits on AI readiness, and Dr. Jennifer Boger, tech researcher with a focus on responsible AI.

A few key takeaways from the conversation:

• We are seeing parallels between GLI and AI design / adoption; i.e. the rush to allocate capital without taking the time to ensure it meets the needs of women and other underserved groups. Similarly, the speed with which AI tools are being pushed out without integrating a range of perspectives into their design

• Technology inherits the assumptions that came before it.  AI's probabilistic models are drawing from data sets that include massive gender stereotypes. Any investment decisions that were biased in the past will now just get automated based on skewed data

• The noisier we are about the existence of these biases, the more pressure there is to do things differently.  Getting more women involved in every part of the LLM value chain is hugely important 

• It's also absolutely vital that a diversity of people use the tools, otherwise LLMs aren't collecting data on diverse groups

• Interesting approaches discussed (with the massive caveat to always validate the data):

  • When exploring a certain area, ask AI about any gender biases to be aware of as part of the analysis you are doing

  • Ask your investment manager how they are addressing gender-bias with respect to investment and any guardrails they have put in place

  • Support your portfolio companies to develop an AI policy (75% don't have one yet) and train them up on how to use the tools.  Unclear AI guidance is not only a massive risk issue, it's also a gender issue - research indicates when AI guidance is unclear, men will use it and women won't 

  • Use customized, peer-to-peer workshops to connect people on AI usage. Assign AI champions in the company who are responsible for guiding AI usage and uptake

  • Leverage the creativity of LLMs by building an AI script to explore how a portfolio could have an outsized gender impact

We will continue to explore this rapidly changing area, including the extent to which AI integrates a gender lens.

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CAFIID members are welcome to join our upcoming Gender Lens Investing Community of Practice meeting!

Thursday March 5th, 2026 at 1pm EST on Zoom

At lightning speed, AI has moved from experimentation to widespread uptake.  Yet alarm bells are sounding about its design and the extent to which it integrates an equity lens.    

Join us on March 5th at 1pm EST for a discussion on AI where we will be joined by:

• Mara Bolis, founder and CEO of First Prompt where she advises founders and non-profits on AI readiness, drawing on her deep background in gender and women’s economic empowerment.

• Dr. Jennifer Boger, tech researcher with a focus on responsible AI that is centred around meaningful human engagement.  

Together, and based on the practical examples from Mara and Jen, we will begin to unpack complex questions such as: who is AI solving problems for?  How can we reduce the gender bias in AI systems? How can we empower AI users in the design and development to ensure generative AI applications are producing desirable results?

Looking forward to a great discussion!  Until then, sharing a few pieces by Mara and Jen to pique your interest: The AI Gender Gap Paradox: A Case for Fierce Ambivalence (Mara); Honouring Humanity: How do we include humanities in AI to authentically reflect the human experience? (Jen).

NOTE: This event is for current CAFIID members and invited guests. If you're interested in becoming a member, join here.