UAE leads region in promoting women in AI, says expert

Dubai - Women in AI prefer working for non-profit organisations, representing 36 per cent of this industry.

The UAE has been at the forefront of empowering women to take on roles in artificial intelligence (AI) across all levels, said Debbie Botha, ambassador for the UAE in non-profit organisation Women in AI.

“The great strides of progress up to now can be attributed to strong Arab women, not giving up and continuously pushing the boundaries to join forces and not compete against each other. The UAE is particularly aggressive and forward-thinking in terms of women in AI,” said Botha.

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The UAE is currently leading the region in promoting women in the AI sector. In the world’s first AI university in Abu Dhabi, for instance, 30 per cent of enrollees are women.

She noted that women will more aggressively be included in innovation with the advancements in technology.

“Global organisations are doing a lot of great work to help women play a key role in the AI sector. For example, Women in AI is working towards gender-inclusive AI that benefits global society. Their mission is to increase female representation and participation in AI through community, events and education,” she said.

Botha is one of the big names who will be speaking at Khaleej Times’ AI forum Artelligence, which will be held on Monday, September 13. Well-known experts will highlight the opportunities and challenges in the industry of new-age technologies, especially artificial intelligence.

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Non-profit organisation Women in AI brings all minds together across 140 countries with more than 8,000 members and 160 volunteers. It is a vibrant community with more than 22,000 LinkedIn followers.

Botha pointed out that women in AI prefer working for non-profit organisations, representing 36 per cent of this industry while other industries have female representation of about 15 to 26 per cent.

She stressed that it will be essential for partnerships to be formed between educational institutes, governments, industry corporates, startups, vendors and other institutions like the World Economic Forum.

“If we do the partnerships right, we will have a formidable community where there is a massive opportunity for the women and men in AI, and the partners. It will increase the numbers and eminence of women in AI in the educational institutions, and pave the way for successful careers in governments, startups, industry companies, vendors and other institutions,” she added.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE