The New Age of Sexism

AI is here, bringing a seismic shift in the way our society operates. Might this mean a future reimagined on equitable terms for women and marginalised groups everywhere?

Not unless we fight for it. At present, power remains largely in the hands of a few rich, white men. New AI-driven technologies, with misogyny baked into their design, are putting women in danger, their rights and safety sacrificed at the altar of profitability and reckless speed.

In The New Age of Sexism, Sunday Times bestselling author and campaigner Laura Bates takes us deep into the heart of this rapidly evolving world. She explores the metaverse, confronts deepfake pornography, travels to cyber brothels, tests chatbots, and hears from schools in the grip of online sexual abuse, showing how our lives – from education to work, sex to entertainment – are being infiltrated by easily accessible technologies that are changing the way we live and love. What she finds is a wild west where existing forms of discrimination, inequality and harassment are being coded into the future we will all have little choice about living in – unless we seize this moment to demand change.

Gripping, courageous and eye-opening, The New Age of Sexism exposes a phenomenon we can’t afford to ignore any longer. Our future is on the line. We need to act now, before it is too late.

Review

'The New Age of Sexism doesn’t sound like a thriller, but it reads like one, with vivid reportage, arresting stories, sharp insights and grabby stats’ ― Daily Telegraph

‘We are lucky to have Laura Bates . . . Be sure to lend this book to all the men in your lives when you've finished reading – or better yet, ask to borrow it after they've bought it’ ― Glamour

'Fascinating and essential... I urge you to read every syllable' -- Jo Brand

‘A brilliantly researched, incredibly illuminating and frequently chilling account of the next chapter in tech's ongoing assault on our core values. A chapter that is already unfolding around us all’ -- James O'Brien

‘Through her usual fast-paced, well-researched and deeply compelling prose, Laura Bates examines how new technologies are rapidly moving the frontiers of sexism, while emphasizing just how crucial it is that we get ahead of the way these innovations impact women’ -- Emma-Louise Boynton

‘All men must read this book if they have any interest in a truly just, fair and equal society’ -- Robin Ince

‘Laura Bates is showing us the path to both intimate and global survival’ -- Gloria Steinem

‘A brilliant thinker and campaigner’ ― Financial Times

‘Laura Bates puts out books that perfectly describe growing problems and possible solutions. She's a proper hero at the coal mouth’ -- Caitlin Moran

‘A fascinating, mind-blowing and deeply intelligent book that should be recommended reading for every person on our planet’ -- Scarlett Curtis on Men Who Hate Women

About the Author

Laura Bates studied English at Cambridge University and went on to be a freelance journalist. She has written for the Guardian, the Independent, the New Statesman, Red Magazine and Grazia among others. She is also contributor at Women Under Siege, a New-York based organisation working to combat the use of sexual violence as a tool of war in conflict zones worldwide. She is the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project.