Event
AI, Learning, and Gender Equality
April 13, 2026 (Virtual)
Continuing our AI & Future of Work Roundtable Series, SODI and Monash University held the fifth roundtable on April 13, 2026. The interactive session brought together researchers, practitioners, technology and innovation leaders, and educators to examine new evidence on how AI is reshaping learning, and its implications for gender equality. Presentations from two leading researchers anchored a robust roundtable discussion on the risks and opportunities of AI for learning in both education and workplace settings.
Click here for a downloadable PDF summary of this event.
Research Talks
Catalina Franco
Researcher, NHH Norwegian School of Economics
Catalina Franco is a researcher at the Centre for Applied Research (SNF) and the Centre of Excellence FAIR at NHH Norwegian School of Economics. Her research examines how generative AI is reshaping education, work, and mental health support, often in gendered ways. Her work shows that men adopt AI tools faster and turn to them more readily for emotional support than women, and that the learning effects of AI are highly uneven, raising new questions about inequality in the age of AI.
Leo Bao
Senior Lecturer, Monash University
Leo Bao is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Banking and Finance at Monash University. His research spans experimental and behavioral economics and finance, with interests including FinTech, asset markets, gender equality, and crime deterrence. He completed his PhD in Economics at Monash University and has published work in leading journals across economics, finance, and management, including recent research on whether artificial intelligence can improve gender equality.