Women urged to embrace new technologies

‘Embrace new technologies for a safer and comfortable life’ was the message to women at a session of the two-day International Conclave on GenAI that concluded here on Friday.

A session on ‘Importance of GenAI in Pushing New Frontiers in Technology’ saw women experts share how mastering new technology was a meaningful way to break free from isolation.

Federal Bank executive director Shalini Warrier, Prof. Elizabeth Shirley of Digital University Kerala, and IBM managing partner and Client Innovation Center leader Usha Srikanth participated in the discussions.

Ms. Warrier, while calling for equality in the banking field, felt that their reluctance to learn anything new continued to hold women back in technology. “The mantra of women in the field should be to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Fintech is a prime example of technology adoption. Artificial Intelligence is also critical in customer service,” said the senior banker.

Prof. Elizabeth Shirley said GenAI was rapidly influencing the country’s education system. Women need better technical facilities, financial support, and expert advice to rise in the field. “All systems like higher education institutions, digital universities, and start-ups are giving more importance to women,” she said.

Ms. Srikanth said although women were well represented in the software delivery sector, there are fewer women in fields such as data science and software architecture. She said women should take advantage of the opportunity to learn new technologies without limiting themselves to familiar fields.