In honour of International Women’s Day 2025, we’re spotlighting 10 incredible women who are driving some of the most groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence(AI).
These visionary leaders aren’t just part of the artificial intelligence conversation, they’re actively shaping its future. From AI safety and cybersecurity to machine learning breakthroughs in healthcare, climate tech, and finance, they’re solving real-world problems and proving that artificial intelligence isn’t just for the usual names we hear in tech.
Instead of just discussing AI’s challenges, these women are building practical, impactful solutions that benefit businesses, communities, and individuals alike.
Join us as we explore the journeys of these AI pioneers, diving into their innovations and the lasting impact they’re making in the world of technology.
- AI Safety and Governance
- Pioneering AI Assistants
- Artificial Intelligence In Education & Diversity
- AI-Powered Supply Chains
- Artificial Intelligence in Biotech
- AI-Powered Communication
- AI in Cybersecurity
- Artificial Intelligence in Hiring
- AI In Sensory Processing
- AI-Powered Robotics for Surgery
1. Daniela Amodei – AI Safety and Governance
Daniela Amodei is on a mission to make artificial intelligence safer for humanity. As the co-founder and President of Anthropic, she's leading the charge in AI safety research. Before launching Anthropic, she was the VP of Safety and Policy at OpenAI, where she played a crucial role in shaping policies around artificial intelligence ethics and responsible development.
Her company, Anthropic, is developing Claude, a next-gen artificial intelligence assistant designed to be more transparent and aligned with human intentions. With tech giants racing towards AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), Amodei’s work is shaping the governance and risk mitigation strategies that will define AI’s future.
2. Mira Murati – Pioneering AI Assistants
Mira Murati’s influence on artificial is undeniable. As the former CTO of OpenAI, she played a pivotal role in developing ChatGPT and DALL·E, the AI models that revolutionized content creation, chatbots, and human-computer interaction.
In late 2024, Murati stepped away from OpenAI to launch her own AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab, focusing on building next-generation AI assistants that offer more personalized, ethical, and secure artificial intelligence experiences. With the growing concerns around artificial intelligence safety and misinformation, her company is setting new standards in responsible artificial intelligence innovation.
3. Anne-Marie Imafidon – Artificial Intelligence In Education & Diversity
Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon is a trailblazer in tech education and diversity. She co-founded Stemettes, an award-winning initiative that has inspired over 50,000 young women to pursue careers in STEM.
Her latest artificial intelligence-driven project, AI for Good, focuses on using artificial intelligence to bridge the digital skills gap, providing underrepresented groups with AI literacy and career pathways. Imafidon’s impact on artificial intelligence isn’t just about tech; it’s about ensuring that artificial intelligence serves everyone, not just the privileged few.
4. Jamila Gordon – AI-Powered Supply Chains
Jamila Gordon isn’t just disrupting the food industry, she’s rebuilding trust in global supply chains. As founder and CEO of Lumachain, she’s using artificial intelligence and blockchain to create a fully transparent farm-to-table system, ensuring food safety, ethical sourcing, and reduced waste.
Growing up in Somalia before immigrating to Australia, Gordon saw firsthand the devastating effects of supply chain inefficiencies, especially in food security. After holding top leadership roles at Qantas and IBM, she recognized a glaring problem: Food supply chains were fragmented, inefficient, and vulnerable to contamination. She knew artificial intelligence could be the solution.
At Lumachain, she built an artificial intelligence-powered platform that allows food producers, retailers, and consumers to track every step of a product’s journey from the farm where it was grown, through processing plants and distribution centres, all the way to supermarket shelves.
5. Dr Radhika Dirks – Artificial Intelligence in Biotech
Dr Radhika Dirks is transforming the landscape of artificial intelligence in biotech. As the CEO and Founder of Ribo AI, she is spearheading revolutionary AI-driven solutions to tackle some of the world’s most complex diseases, including cancer. Her company is at the cutting edge of biotech, using artificial intelligence to decode the biological mechanisms of diseases and accelerate the development of life-saving treatments. But her ambition doesn’t stop there Dr Dirks is also the visionary behind XLabs AI, a tech hub dedicated to creating bold, moonshot innovations powered by artificial intelligence.
Before launching XLabs, she founded Seldn, an artificial intelligence system that successfully predicted major global socio-economic disruptions, including the rise of ISIS. Her expertise in AI-driven forecasting also shaped her role as a founding member of Shell’s $1 billion venture capital group and as COO of Rotary Gallop. With a track record of using artificial intelligence to tackle real-world challenges, Dr. Dirks continues to push the limits of technology, proving that AI isn’t just a tool
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6. Surbhi Rathore – AI-Powered Communication
Surbhi Rathore is revolutionising the way businesses enhance human conversations with artificial intelligence. As the CEO and Co-founder of Symbl.ai, she leads a platform that provides real-time AI infrastructure to improve communication experiences across industries. Her mission is clear: to empower developers and businesses to build seamless, intelligent, and context-aware conversational experiences without the complexity of traditional artificial intelligence development.
Starting her journey as a software developer in India, Surbhi has spent over a decade shaping customer experience (CX) solutions for major telecoms and enterprises worldwide. She deeply understands how artificial intelligence can bridge gaps in human communication and believes in collaboration without borders.
7. Dr. Suhayya (Sue) Abu-Hakima - AI in Cybersecurity
Dr Suhayya Abu-Hakima is one of the most formidable minds in artificial intelligence-driven cybersecurity, with over 48 patents in AI, machine learning, and content security. She has spent her career tackling some of the most complex digital security challenges, ensuring that businesses, governments, and individuals stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.
As the founder of Alstari, Dr Suhayya Abu-Hakima is redefining AI-powered cybersecurity with a strong focus on regulatory compliance. She’s built an advanced platform that not only detects and neutralises cyber threats in real-time but also helps organisations navigate the complex world of artificial intelligence safety regulations.
With cybercrime on the rise and hackers using artificial intelligence to launch more sophisticated attacks, Dr Abu-Hakima is proving that artificial intelligence can fight back just as hard. Alstari is at the forefront of ensuring businesses stay secure and compliant, offering expert guidance on the safe and responsible use of AI in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
8. Tommie Edwards – Artificial Intelligence in Hiring
Tommie Edwards is a leading voice in artificial intelligence-driven talent acquisition, revolutionising how businesses hire, retain, and manage talent. As the founder and CEO of Tech1M, she is at the forefront of leveraging AI-powered hiring solutions that eliminate bias, accelerate recruitment, and match top talent to the right roles with precision.
With hiring challenges evolving, Tommie champions AI’s role in creating fair, efficient, and scalable recruitment processes, helping businesses move beyond outdated hiring models and build future-ready workforces. Her expertise extends across AI-driven candidate assessments, workflow automation, and data-backed hiring strategies, ensuring companies don’t just find talent but the right talent.
9. Yasmin Al Enazi – AI In Sensory Processing
Yasmin Al Enazi is changing the way we understand sensory processing through Aisthesis Technologies. As co-founder, she’s leading the charge in using artificial intelligence to bridge the gap between neuroscience and technology, helping industries from healthcare to human-computer interaction decode human perception and behaviour like never before.
With over 13 years of expertise, Yasmin isn’t just developing artificial intelligence solutions; she’s unlocking new ways to interpret human perception, cognition, and behaviour. As the UAE Ambassador for Women in AI, she’s also driving inclusivity in artificial intelligence research and innovation
10. Dr. Carol Reiley – AI-Powered Robotics for Surgery
Dr. Carol Reiley ( Mother of Robots) is a pioneer in AI-powered robotics, pushing the boundaries of how artificial intelligence enhances human capabilities. With a background in robotics and artificial intelligence, she has dedicated her career to developing intelligent systems that improve precision and efficiency in critical fields like healthcare and autonomous technology.
Her work in surgical robotics helped refine robotic-assisted procedures, making surgeries safer, less invasive, and more accurate. As the co-founder of Drive.ai, she also played a pivotal role in advancing self-driving technology and applying AI to real-world problems beyond healthcare. Through her innovations, Reiley is not just improving healthcare; she’s shaping a future where artificial intelligence and robotics work seamlessly alongside humans to save lives.
These ten women are shaping the future of artificial intelligence, from pioneering AI assistants and cybersecurity solutions to ensuring AI ethics and education reach underserved communities. Their work proves that artificial intelligence isn’t just about technology; it’s about creating a better, more inclusive future for all.
