Women Rewrite AI's Story at the Bund Forum

From Users to Creators: Women Take the Stage at the Bund Forum

Can a woman who left school in third grade and sells steamed buns on the street build her own AI writing assistant? Can a rural homestay manager who doesn't know code develop an English learning app to share her hometown's stories with foreign guests?

At the 2026 Inclusion · Bund Conference's "Digital Mulan" session on September 11, these questions got real answers. A diverse group of women—different ages, different professions—presented their AI products on stage, proving that the future of technology isn't just for the tech-savvy.

The event, jointly initiated by Ant Group and the Ant Charity Foundation, centered on the theme "We WOMEN · AI." It was split into two parts: "AI for Her" and "AI by Her," exploring how women can be not just beneficiaries but co-creators in the AI revolution.

Liu Liqun, president of China Women's University, highlighted both progress and challenges. Digital technology, she said, breaks down time and space barriers, opening new doors for women. But gender digital gaps, algorithmic biases, and a lack of female digital talent remain. "Improving women's digital literacy and bridging the gender digital gap is both a practical issue and a mission of the times," she stated.

AI's Impact on Work and Health

A rural woman finishes her field work, puts on a suit, and becomes an AI trainer at a tech company. After work, she drives her own car to pick up her child. This scene, witnessed by host Zhang Yue at a Shaanxi project base, captures AI's potential to transform women's lives.

But it's not all smooth sailing. Yang Jianghua, director of the Digital Society Research Center at Xi'an Jiaotong University, shared sobering data: about a quarter of global jobs may be affected by AI, with women holding 4.7% of the most vulnerable positions compared to men's 2.4%. "Technology alone won't bring occupational gender equality," he warned. "Only through individual effort, social innovation, and systemic governance can we ensure shared digital dividends."

At the employment roundtable, voices from manufacturing, digital services, and finance echoed a similar theme. Wang Yan from Yida China noted that frontline female workers understand production processes intimately—with training, they can help develop AI tools. Xu Ning of Ant Science revealed that 81% of their cloud customer service platform are women, with AI bringing jobs "to the doorstep" for mothers. Zhan Qun from Wangshang Bank shared that they've served 17 million female entrepreneurs, now helping them use AI to manage their businesses.

When talk turned to health, the questions got personal. Can women in remote areas get timely screenings? Can AI help with those awkward physical issues we'd rather not discuss?

Nadia Rasheed, Representative of the UN Population Fund in China, stressed that AI's potential in women's health hinges on reaching those facing the greatest obstacles. She called for women to be involved in designing and setting rules for these products, especially ensuring rural women and women with disabilities aren't left behind.

The health roundtable showcased practical solutions. Sun Xiaorong from Wuhan Landings Intelligent Medicine described how AI helped issue 50,000 cervical cancer screening reports in a single day, with doctors reviewing suspicious cells online. Zhang Ling from DAMO Academy introduced multi-cancer screening using plain CT and AI, achieving 85% sensitivity for breast cancer detection without contrast agents.

Women Without Code, With Ideas

From receiving services to actively creating, women at the conference using AI "vibe coding" built products that started with real-life problems.

Two 13-year-old girls presented works based on needs around them. Jia Yishan from Beijing Chaoyang Zhongde School noticed her teammates' grandparents struggled to take medicine on time, so she helped design a smart medicine box. Xie Anqi from Hangzhou Yungu School and her classmate created a "Husky Study Butler" in just a day and a half to help distracted students focus.

As AI natives, they have their own wisdom. "We can ask AI if we don't understand, and correct it if it makes mistakes—that's learning too," Jia said. Xie added a crucial reminder: "If you really believe you should master something, you must have the ability to understand it yourself."

Members of the "Mulan Makers' Forest" brought works rooted in women's daily lives. Mu Yumei, over 50, sells steamed buns in Shenzhen and writes poetry. She dropped out in third grade, collected scrap, and moved constantly. After joining a reading club in 2024, she began writing poems about her hometown's wheat fields, the hardships of labor, and the chicks she raises with her granddaughter. At the conference, she collaborated with tech volunteers to create an AI writing assistant. "Although I only attended school for three years and still sell steamed buns, my life is decided by me!" she declared.

Wang Aidi, a homestay manager in Dongxiang from Tianshui, wanted to introduce local food and folk songs to international guests but couldn't speak English. That frustration led her to co-create "Mulan Voice," an English tool for homestay scenarios. "Although I don't know code, I understand the needs," she said. She hopes to bring the tool back to the mountains and learn with more rural women. On conference day, she greeted a foreign guest in the elevator—a small victory.

Hu Chunfang, a hearing-impaired weaver in Hangzhou Xiaoshan, teaches over 300 hearing-impaired students. She collaborated on "Bridge Not Broken," where inputting ideas generates design drawings via AI, combined with her weaving experience to create tutorials. Mao Mao's mother from Xinyang, Henan, once struggled to find a music teacher for blind children, so she learned musical notation herself. She co-created "AI for Love, Because of Love" to help blind children practice singing at home.

Dou Yongyan from Jishi Mountain, Gansu, a cloud customer service agent, created an emotional companion assistant after her grandmother passed away. It records memories, saves photos, and writes family letters. "For me, the real significance of this family letter is that I finally said the words I never had the chance to say."

Lai Yunqi, founder and CEO of FLOW AI, believes AI lowers the threshold for small teams and women entrepreneurs. "As more execution work can be handed to tools, understanding user needs becomes more important," she said, encouraging women to start with a simple AI tool based on their own needs.

From English conversations in homestays to poems by the steamed bun stall, women's work experiences and life feelings are shaping what AI products should solve and how they should be designed.

Xiao Wangjing, vice president of Ant Group's Sustainable Development Department, noted this is the ninth year of Ant's Digital Mulan Women Support Program. "Women cannot just be users and consumers of AI, but should become co-creators and shapers," she emphasized. "The more AI develops, the more people need to be present, and 'We WOMEN' need to be even more present. In the past, we hoped she could enter the future; today, we hope she becomes a co-author of the future."

During the conference, the China Women's Development Foundation, China Health Education Center, and Ant Charity Foundation launched the "Mulan AI Health Plan" to bring AI closer to grassroots women's health needs in places like Dezhou, Qingjian, and Jishi Mountain. Partners also released the "We WOMEN · AI" initiative, supporting more women to become shared participants, co-creators, and co-builders in the AI era.

Key Points

• Women as co-creators: The Bund Forum showcased women moving from AI users to product creators, with tools built from real-life needs.
• Diverse voices: From a steamed-bun seller to a homestay manager, women of all backgrounds presented AI solutions.
• Challenges remain: Gender digital gaps and job displacement risks need systemic solutions.
• Health innovations: AI is improving women's health through early screening and accessible tools.
• Call to action: The "We WOMEN · AI" initiative aims to ensure women are not left behind in the digital era.