- Women are increasingly driving AI innovation in the Middle East
- Cloudera surveyed IT leaders across the region
- It found that 91 per cent of women leaders in the UAE are optimistic
Women are increasingly driving AI innovation in the Middle East, but challenges around leadership representation and skills development remain, according to a new survey by Cloudera.
The report, unveiled at EVOLVE25 Dubai, surveyed IT leaders across the region as part of the Women in Leadership in Technology (WLIT) initiative.
It found that 91 per cent of women leaders in the UAE are optimistic that gender equality in AI leadership will improve within five years.
While optimism is high, concerns persist. Half of respondents (50%) reported that gender imbalance remains a challenge in tech, and almost half (46%) expressed worry about the lack of women in senior AI roles.
Around 44 per cent highlighted the risk that under-representation could introduce bias into AI systems.
“Wherever data lives, AI follows. That is the reality our customers are dealing with,” said Manasi Vartek, Chief AI Architect, Cloudera. “If organisations want AI they can trust, they need two things. First, a unified data foundation that gives them consistent governance across clouds, data centres, and the edge. Second, the human groundwork. That means targeted training for women in technical and leadership tracks and clear pathways into senior AI roles.”
The survey also highlighted barriers to career progression. More than half (52%) cited limited senior leadership opportunities as the biggest challenge, while 64 per cent pointed to restricted access to upskilling and 60% to under-representation in AI-focused departments.
Two-thirds (67%) felt gender equality is still treated as a tick-box exercise, and 84 per cent said organisations need to provide more AI training for women.
The findings have stressed a key tension: AI can be a powerful leveller for gender equality, but without diverse leadership, it risks embedding bias into future systems.
