Women and girls have a tech issue. From the classroom to the C-suite, a persistent gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) threatens to leave half the population behind as the world races to embrace AI. Globally, women represent just 26% of the workforce in data and AI, and a mere 12% in cloud computing, according to the United Nations (UN).

This year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGIS), commemorated on Feb. 11, highlights this gap under the banner of “Synergizing AI, Social Science, STEM, and Finance: Building Inclusive Futures for Women and Girls.” The theme suggests actions needed to tackle the social and financial barriers driving men’s disproportionate access to STEM education, earnings, and leadership positions compared with women.

IDWGIS is one of several UN-led observance days that seeks to raise awareness of issues outlined in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UN member states adopted the SDGs 2015 as means to end global poverty by 2030 through coordinated action on hunger, human rights, and gender equality, among others.

Progress toward the SDGs is uneven, and on the equity front, a growing “AI divide” seems to be simultaneously exposing and exacerbating existing disparities. Gender biases in large language models and other tools that rely on AI models are already well-documented. It seems our digital spaces are infected with the same biases that fuel real-world divisions and can ultimately perpetuate discrimination against women and girls in STEM fields.

Consider the 2016 film “Hidden Figures.” The biographical drama follows three female African American mathematicians working at NASA at the intersection of the Space Race and Jim Crow. Vastly outnumbered, these pioneering women must use segregated coffee pots and bathrooms at the office and still calculate flight trajectories with accuracy and speed equal to their colleagues (and in heels). Their genius powers rockets and allows American astronauts to return safely from orbit. Their triumph serves as both a beacon and a warning: in 50 years from now, who will we be lauding as the hidden figures in AI?

If the numbers are right, then we don’t have decades to find out. We are obligated, right now, as professional storytellers, to elevate the voices of women and girls in STEM. For over 10 years and across several communications roles, I had the privilege doing so at a nonprofit biotech. But I would argue that anyone with a social media presence can spare a post on Feb. 11 to share one of these success stories or stats on girls’ flagging participation in STEM subjects. Better yet, attend a panel discussion, or organize one for your colleagues.

I would also argue that – with CEOs going “all-in” this year to demonstrate AI’s ROI – employers should incentivize women to adopt AI in the workplace and should consider the percentage who do a measurable business return. The resulting figure is more than just ROI or DEI – it’s a powerful demonstration of leading for impact.