Teaching gender knowledge and ethics in AI to STEM students

Significant disparities in gender equality still persist across European countries. According to the 2024 Gender Equality Index by the European Institute for Gender Equality, the European Union scored an average of 71.0 out of 100, with wide gaps among member states. The average gender pay gap remains around 12%, and women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields and leadership positions. These inequalities are also evident in the field of Artificial Intelligence, where in the EU and UK, only 16% of individuals with skills in this field are women. In this context, the article presents the course Gender Knowledge and Ethics in Artificial Intelligence, offered by the School of Engineering at the University of Padua. This initiative, promoted by two teachers of the degree program in Computer Engineering, marks the first explicit introduction of gender-related topics within an engineering curriculum. As the aim of the course is to raise awareness among future graduated about the intersection of gender, ethics, and intelligent technologies, fostering a more inclusive and responsible technical culture, the course was then opened also to STEM students and more generally to all students of the University of Padua. Through both qualitative and quantitative analysis, the article outlines the motivations behind the development of the course, its educational objectives, and its main topics, which include algorithmic bias, fairness, and accountability in AI development. Data collected from the initial editions of the course show consistently high levels of student appreciation and engagement, confirming the course s effectiveness in encouraging critical thinking and promoting a more ethical and inclusive approach to artificial intelligence engineering.