Scrapping Diversity Targets in UK AI Is a Dangerous Step Backward

The Alan Turing Institute’s recent decision to scrap its gender-diversity targets is more than a policy change, it’s a retreat from leadership, responsibility and the inclusive vision we urgently need for AI. 

As the UK’s national centre for artificial intelligence, the Institute’s move sends a dangerous signal: that inclusion is optional, that equity is expendable and that the voices of half the population are negotiable in building the technologies that will shape our collective future.

This isn’t just about HR metrics. It’s about power - who holds it, who is excluded from it and what kind of world gets built as a result.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

A 2024 report by Beauhurst, a UK data platform that tracks and analyzes high-growth, innovative companies to provide insights on funding, leadership and market trends, paints a stark picture of gender inequality in UK AI. Of the roughly 2,600 active AI companies, fewer than 13% are founded by women. Only 7% have majority-female leadership. And AI startups founded solely by women? They’ve received just  0.4% of total UK AI investment over the past decade. 

That’s not a gap. It’s a canyon. 

These numbers aren’t a reflection of a lack of ambition or ability - they reflect a lack of access. Access to funding, to networks, to influence. Even in Beauhurst’s list of the Top 100 UK  AI companies, only 17%  were founded by women or have female CEOs. These figures expose more than underrepresentation - they reveal a system that consistently favours one group over others. 

We’re often told that tech rewards talent, but it’s hard to believe talent alone determines success when access is so uneven. 

If the UK is serious about becoming a global leader in AI, it must do more than celebrate success stories. It must confront and dismantle the structures keeping women out.

Diversity is a Prerequisite for Innovation

The best ideas come from teams that reflect a range of lived experiences. Poppy Gustafsson, former CEO of Darktrace, one of the UK’s top AI firms, has said that “the best innovations come from bringing different perspectives together.” Companies like hers, where women are visible leaders, show us that inclusion is about better outcomes.

Homogeneous teams create homogeneous thinking.

That means blind spots, ethical oversights and technologies that don’t meet the needs of real people, especially those already marginalised. AI doesn’t just reflect  the values of its creators, it amplifies them. When women and other underrepresented voices are left out of the conversation, the consequences aren’t theoretical -they’re systemic, global and enduring..

The Human Cost of Exclusion

The stats alone are sobering, but they don’t capture the lived experiences. Women in tech still face structural barriers, diminished opportunities and unequal recognition. The pressures women endure trying to lead while also being mothers, daughters and partners, all while proving they belong in a system that wasn’t built for them is the reason as to why progress must be defended.

Leaders like Eleanor Lightbody (CEO of Luminance) have made it clear: meaningful change requires more than ambition - it demands institutional support. “There shouldn’t be anything standing in the way of women accessing and progressing within the tech sector,” she says. 

Yet the barriers remain. Scrapping diversity targets doesn’t remove those obstacles, it legitimises them.

What the UK Must Do Now

If the UK truly wants to lead in AI, we must stop treating inclusion as a box-ticking exercise and start recognising it as a strategic imperative. That means: 

That means:

• Reinstating and strengthening gender-diversity targets at institutions like the Alan Turing Institute

• Redirecting public funding toward women and minority-led AI ventures

• Building robust support structures - mentorship, visibility, networking and leadership pipelines - for underrepresented talent

A Question of Vision

Artificial intelligence will shape everything from medicine and education to justice, finance and democracy. But it will also mirror the values of those who build it. 

If we want a future that is ethical, equitable and human-centered, then we must ensure that those building it represent the full spectrum of society.

The Alan Turing Institute once aspired to lead on responsible AI. It’s time for that leadership to be reclaimed - with gender equity at its core, not as a footnote.

Inclusion isn’t a distraction from excellence. It’s what makes excellence possible.