Who Runs The World? Women In AI

The rolodex of Indian tech honchos in the world of artificial intelligence (AI) is, unsurprisingly, stacked with all the usual suspects. While Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella monopolise headlines and beam down sagely from magazine covers, the lack of media coverage for Indian women engineers belies the game-changing work being done by this cohort in an ever-evolving industry. From building grassroots-level organisations to chairing World Economic Forum councils, ELLE turns the spotlight on four noteworthy women in AI perched on the precipice of a brighter tomorrow.

Digital Diagnosis 

When Anima Anandkumar was first researching AI for her undergraduate thesis at IIT Madras two decades ago, it was hardly counted among the most coveted choices. However, as this discipline went from theory to practice, her career skyrocketed. Through this whirlwind of change, Anandkumar has managed to maintain equilibrium by straddling dual roles in industry and academia to bridge the gap— having previously led AI research at NVIDIA, she now works as a professor at Caltech. So, how would she describe her job to a layperson? “My work involves designing superhuman machines that can learn and make new scientific inventions and discoveries, such as finding new cures for cancer and predicting hurricanes better,” she summarises. Even as she continues to make greater strides in the field, Anandkumar is not oblivious to the gender imbalance in the world of technology. Her solution for dialling back this disparity is clear: developing a meritocratic environment with clear metrics on how someone is promoted to reduce the bias and discrimination in subjective evaluation. “It is heartening to see more female students at all stages, eager to take on challenges. I also look up to senior female luminaries who overcame much bigger barriers than I had to face, which inspires me to never give up,” she says.

All Rise For Gen AI 

Bestselling author. AI ethicist. Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Generation AI Youth Council. At the age of twenty, Neha Shukla’s résumé is littered with achievements that many attain over a lifetime. Her work has earned the attention of the White House, where she served as a youth advisor to the US Department of Education. But the one thing she wants you to know is that AI is nothing like what you’ve seen in sci-fi flicks, such as ‘The Terminator’ (1984). “There is a lot of fear surrounding AI’s existential risks. We need to build mass literacy of what AI fundamentally is, how it works and the ways it impacts our everyday lives,” she says. As the youngest voice and often the only woman of colour in boardrooms and at decision-making tables, Shukla knows what it is like to be underestimated. She believes progress can only be achieved with systemic change for amplifying diverse talent and female voices. “While I might be the first in many spaces, I’m working hard to make sure I’m not the last by opening the door for the next generation of women behind me,” she smiles. 

Ethos Of Ethics 

As a doctoral researcher in AI governance, Sahaj Vaidya is well-acquainted with the fact that her chosen profession doesn’t pop up often in routine dinner table conversations. Fortunately, she has an analogy up her sleeve to keep confusion and misconceptions at bay. “Imagine AI as a chef preparing meals for everyone. My job is to ensure the chef uses clean, nutritious ingredients—or data—and follows ethical recipes—or algorithms. I also make sure the chef explains what went into the meal and how it was prepared, so everyone can trust what they’re eating with transparency,” she explains. Even while the world of AI is considered to be in its nascent stages, Vaidya is alarmed by the inherent neutrality associated with the technology. “People often believe that because AI is built on data and algorithms, it’s free from bias. In reality, biases in the data or design can lead to unintended, and sometimes harmful, consequences,” she cautions. When she isn’t advocating for AI literacy initiatives, the 26-year-old is using her voice to combat gender imbalances in the industry. In her experience, discrimination starts early as young girls aren’t often encouraged to explore professions in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) due to stereotypes and the lack of visible role models. “Representation matters immensely. When women see others thriving in tech, it breaks barriers and inspires them to excel in this field. Leadership isn’t just about ability—it’s about opportunity. If we can level the playing field, more women will rise to leadership roles in tech,” she concludes.

Future Forecast 

Ever wonder how shopping apps and websites manage to read your mind and predict precisely which products you’d like? Once upon a time, Alka Pandey found herself grappling with these questions as well. Now, as the senior manager of data science and AI at Unilever, her days are spent leveraging the power of AI and machine learning to help consumers make better decisions. “But if you were to ask a layperson what I do for a living, their best guess would be that I am building robots to take over the world,” she chuckles. Having spent a decade in the industry, Pandey has been more sensitised than others to the systemic barriers that prevent women from taking on leadership roles in technology. In her experience, family support, mentorship opportunities and access to guidance have proven to be game-changers for encouraging more women to pursue a career in STEM. Today, if she were to run into a five-year-old girl, her best advice to her would be to explore the impossible. “Technology is like a magic wand, and you have the power to learn how it works to make incredible things happen. There are endless women doing barrier-breaking discoveries in science and tech, and you can be one of them too,” she signs off.