Diversity and Inclusion Matter in the Digital Context

Tackling biased AI. In digital business, the impact of biased AI extends from awkward and ill-suited shopping recommendations to degrading product experiences. Biased AI can affect customers and employees from diverse backgrounds more adversely than "mainstream" users. Biased AI is usually not the result of bad intentions. As Nikhil Raj, partner at Bain & Company, shared with us, "Even customizing particular service features on something as simple as a zip code can introduce bias into algorithms." Still, one in five businesses report concerns about unintended, potentially negative, and unethical outcomes when using AI technologies. A diverse digital team will empathize more with customers of diverse backgrounds and identify issues that might be a source of discrimination.

Delivering inclusive and innovative digital experiences. Digital offerings that are designed for the average mainstream customer can manifest themselves in suboptimal customer experiences for customers from diverse backgrounds. As Marcus East, SVP and chief digital officer at T-Mobile, explains: "To build products that work for everyone, you have to understand what everyone needs. That is the fundamental reason that you need to have both diversity and inclusion in your strategy." Employees who better represent your entire customer base help drive innovative and inclusive digital product and service development.

Sourcing and retaining digital skills. Employees from diverse backgrounds can get intimidated by mainstream corporate culture. This makes attracting and retaining the best digital talent and driving higher employee engagement challenging. Moreover, legislation in the form of disability rights for access to the digital world is emerging globally — and only 16% of firms state that the primary driver of their commitment to accessibility is to deliver on DEI. But brand building goes beyond attracting employees with diverse backgrounds. Tim Randolph, digital transformation executive at TCS, told us that "what has changed [recently] is that our clients expect diverse teams when working with us."