UAE Women Leaders See AI as Key to Advancing Gender Equality

• According to women leaders in the UAE, artificial intelligence could be a driver of gender equality
• In spite of such structural obstacles, many remain optimistic about progress in the region
• According to a Cloudera survey, 91% of female IT leaders in the UAE foresee improvement in gender equality

For women leaders in the UAE, artificial intelligence is both a chance for gender parity and a continuing structure challenge in the region.

A new Cloudera survey of women IT leaders in the UAE shows that 91 percent expects AI leadership to improve gender equality in five years, showing a great deal of optimism for AI to promote equality.

The report suggests a tremendous level of confidence AI will support gender equality: 88 percent expect that AI will support driving more gender equality in technology, while the same number expect women will be in an important position developing and directing AI strategies and governance.

There is concern in the strength of the leadership pipeline: 46 percent are dissatisfied with positions of women in leadership in AI and 44 percent fear that lack of representation could reinforce bias in AI.

A lack of pathways to leadership was the highest barrier at 52 percent along with 84 percent of organizations saying that they will need to implement training for women in AI specifically.

In the view of Eman Gammoh, AI Head at Arab Bank, women are becoming important voices for AI strategy and governance in the region. According to Manasi Vartek, Chief AI Architect at Cloudera, trustworthy AI can only be designed

Corporate priorities are also changing in the Middle East. The KPMG report found that while 78 percent of women business leaders were confident in growth in the region, nearly half would like to see more clarity regarding AI and ESG frameworks.

Organizations are placing a higher premium on human capital development relative to technology--60 percent they expect to report this is increasing, compared to 56 percent of organizations globally.

Initiatives such as She Leads 2025 are building on this momentum to increase access to AI skills and leadership development for women entrepreneurs across the MENA region, and access to regional networks.

Earlier this year, in Jordan, participants from six different countries gathered to learn how to use AI tools in business to support ethical decision-making.

Despite these initiatives, there remain challenges. In the Cloudera survey, two-thirds of responders indicated that gender equity is viewed as a compliance issue rather than a strategic priority in many organizations, and 64 percent indicated barriers to educational opportunities were serious barriers.

The report noted that without increasing diversity in leadership, AI could continue increasing bias rather than decreasing it.