In celebration of International Women's Day 2022 - AIClub released our study of girls in AI - based on the classes that we have taught and the competition wins that we have seen over the last 3 years. The results are amazing
38 percent of students taking classes directly with AIClub are girls - across elementary,, middle school and high school students. This is far greater than most statistics reported worldwide for computer science or coding.
When we analyze our competition wins - 55% of all competition wins are by teams of girls - even when girls-only competitions are excluded. When girls-only competitions are included - the percentage climbs to 66%. This data includes all-gender competitions such as regional and national science fairs, the congressional app challenge, and more. This data suggests that girls are not only well represented in AI classes, they are well represented in the most advanced and successful AI projects.
The above competition data does not include our own competition - AIStars. In AIStars 2021 - 50% of the teams were all girls, 37.5% all boys, and 12.5% teams were mixed.
You can find more about our diversity report here.
How can Girls be better represented in STEM, AI and Computer Science?
It is in all of our interests to encourage more girls to join STEM, AI and Computer Science activities. Girls have historically had limited representation in these areas - and many organizations are focused on closing this gap. AI can provide a vehicle for this effort - since AI is pervasive and used in fields as wide ranging as healthcare, music, finance and art - it is possible for students with wide ranging interests to find value in learning AI.