Why Feminist Design Matters for GenAI: Perspectives from Lusophone Innovation Ecosystems

Abstract

This paper examines professionals’ perceptions of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and its impact on innovation ecosystems in Brazil and Portugal through a feminist and intersectional design lens. It explores how GenAI shapes work experiences, gender dynamics, and organizational practices, highlighting both perceived opportunities and structural challenges across diverse roles and identities. The study addresses the tension between AI’s technological promise, often framed in terms of efficiency, creativity, and innovation, and its implications for equity, diversity, and inclusion in professional contexts. This inquiry is grounded in systemic conditions: AI development remains dominated by a narrow demographic whose assumptions and values are embedded in technological systems, while biased datasets and workplace automation risk reproducing inequalities and widening gendered skill gaps. Empirically, the research draws on 23 semi-structured interviews with cisgender and transgender women and men, as well as non-binary professionals working with AI-driven tools in Brazil and Portugal. Using thematic analysis informed by feminist and intersectional design frameworks, the findings reveal a complex landscape. Participants recognized GenAI’s potential to streamline processes and support innovation, while also expressing concerns about the reproduction of hierarchical power relations and the superficiality of many corporate diversity initiatives. The results reinforce that GenAI is not a neutral technology, but a sociotechnical construct embedded in existing power structures. Its deployment can either reinforce systemic disparities or contribute to more equitable innovation ecosystems. The paper offers guidance on the responsible use of GenAI, grounded in feminist design principles and emphasizing ethical practice and inclusive governance.