The odds are still stacked against women's success in the workplace, and artificial intelligence (AI) is only making it worse, a new report released on Tuesday claims. Because algorithms used in human resources systems are built on historical data reflecting past bias against women in the workplace, they tend to disadvantage women throughout their careers, according to the study, published on International Women's Day in a joint collaboration between UNESCO, the OECD and the Inter-American Development Bank. Here's a look at how AI bias in the workplace happens - and how it might be tackled. Workers increasingly find new opportunities through online jobs platforms, such as Indeed and LinkedIn and on social media like Facebook and Twitter. The algorithms on these platforms influence which job opportunities people learn about, and how well-suited they perceive themselves to be for a particular role.

We live in a digital utopia. From ordering food to university classes to broad room meeting, the fast pace of digital technologies and connectivity has enveloped our lives where we cannot imagine our day without relying on digital softwares nor devices. All of this swift began decades ago when humans were blessed with the invention of computers. But the main credit of developing a programmable code to run these machines goes to Ada Lovelace, who worked with the father of computer Charles Babbage. Fast forward to the present; we still witness women who have had contributed a lot to the advancement of technologies.

With trade wars, immigration crackdowns and polarized media, we seem to be in an endless winter of political and societal discontent. Ironically, the primary driver of this discontent, the state of American jobs, has rarely been this good. Unemployment has fallen to 3.8 percent, an 18-year low. For the first time this century, since the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been keeping tabs, there is, today, a job available for every unemployed American worker. This does not mean that everyone can have a dream job or that every job opening has its dream candidate, but it is an important milestone.

Many credit Ava Lovelace as the first computer programmer, in a time before computers even existed, and women from Grace Hopper to the women who worked with Alan Turing at Bletchley Park were key in the development and adoption of modern computing devices. However, the number of women working in tech dropped significantly after the 1980s, and the percentage of tech employees who are female lags far behind other fields, including business, law, and medicine. Still, there are signs of progress, and understanding the statistics pertaining to women in tech is essential for understanding the problems and addressing them. PwC recently looked at the role of women in tech in the UK. In STEM fields, women accounted for only 15 percent of employees.

The greater adoption of robots in the workplace is heralded as a way to usher greater business efficiency, productivity, and better paid jobs, which in turn will boost the economy. However, the more jobs are automated, the more the gender wage gap will be exasperated, warns a think tank. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) laid out in a new report (pdf) the positive and negative effects of adding robots to the workplace. On the plus side, it estimates that robots could raise UK productivity growth by 0.8% to 1.4% each year and therefore help boost GDP by 10% by 2030. It also predicts that there is £290 billion ($390 billion) worth of wages associated with jobs that have the "technical potential" to become automated.

A recent article titled "Why is AI Female?" made the connection that gendered labor, in service professions in particular, is fueling our expectations for gendered AI assistants and service robots. Furthermore, the author argues, this "feminizing -- and sexualizing -- of machines" signals a future with a disproportionate use of feminized VR and robots for a male-dominated sex industry. "Sex with robots is a big leap from asking Siri to set an alarm, but the fact that we've largely equated artificial intelligence with female personalities is worth examining. There are, after all, few sexualized male robots or avatars." Herbert Televox and Mr. Telelux, the early 20th century robots made by Westinghouse, were both male.

A recent article titled "Why is AI Female?" made the connection that gendered labor, in service professions in particular, is fueling our expectations for gendered AI assistants and service robots. Furthermore, the author argues, this "feminizing -- and sexualizing -- of machines" signals a future with a disproportionate use of feminized VR and robots for a male-dominated sex industry. "Sex with robots is a big leap from asking Siri to set an alarm, but the fact that we've largely equated artificial intelligence with female personalities is worth examining. There are, after all, few sexualized male robots or avatars." Herbert Televox and Mr. Telelux, the early 20th century robots made by Westinghouse, were both male.