AI opening doors for women in tech world
It took a while, but on International Women’s Day 2026, we can finally deliver a positive message about women in technology. At least, that’s what my gut feeling says based on everything going on around me. While in recent years we feared AI would increase gender inequality, technology is having a different impact: it is sparking curiosity and encouraging women to take control.
We are at a tipping point in the development of AI. The whole of society is getting involved today. Everyone is coming into contact with technology in one way or another. And yes, women too are jumping on the bandwagon. Last year, for the first time in my career, I sat on a panel where women were in the majority. And the presence of female students is also striking during my guest lectures. Moreover, they ask really good questions about AI.
Are we overly optimistic or can we say that improvement is on the way? What strikes me is that women look at AI with a totally different lens. And that translates into a focus on two areas that deserve a lot of attention: AI literacy and risk management. While the development and improvement of AI are on the rise, there is a lot of need to make the technology accessible and secure. And let that be exactly something where I see a lot of female activity.
Making AI understandable
From children to seniors or people who have a harder time socially… How can we bring everyone along in the AI revolution? It’s a question that concerns many women. It sometimes leads to spontaneous, low-key and small-scale initiatives, such as meeting up with women who hold various roles in the technology world. It is something I myself have had the opportunity to participate in recently and it provides an opportunity to inspire each other and exchange experiences. What is striking is that AI literacy is a concern of many. There are already great initiatives underway to spread AI skills across the population.
Maybe this has to do with the historical pattern of women being in the majority in education in recent decades. We have a kind of natural call to make things understandable. And that we are better at spotting blind spots that we risk forgetting when building AI models. As women ourselves, we naturally have more experience of bias and discrimination. It makes us sometimes notice things that men don’t.
This is not to say, of course, that men cannot sense such things. They too see things that we as women would not notice. It just proves that a balance between both genders is important in the technology world, and that we can really complement each other’s strengths. But for example, if you want to explain to mums how to guide their children in the AI story, who better than a mum with AI knowledge?”
Tackling AI risks
Another aspect that women like to get into is identifying and managing the risks that arise under the impetus of AI. In my role, this refers to companies’ need for a thorough AI governance strategy. But recent conversations with leading and passionate women show that the role of chief information security officer – is also increasingly being attached to women. This role is undeniably becoming more extensive and complex with the rise of AI. It is a fascinating multidimensional field in which you have to consider many factors. How can we effectively assess the risks associated with AI technology or automated computing systems? That too is a question a woman by nature seems to ask more quickly.
Now, this is purely my perception. But it could well be that the need for AI literacy and risk management opens doors for women. Still, we must remain vocal. An overwhelming minority in the technology world is not something you solve overnight. I also notice that many women are sceptical about the idea of having their voices heard. Do we even need to do anything around women in the technology world? Why too? Surely we don’t feel inferior to men?”
While many companies do realise that men and women bring equal value, young girls still need role models to show what the opportunities are. Meanwhile, there is a lot of togetherness among women to encourage each other, but we need to keep putting ourselves on the agenda. Instead of focusing on quotas for leadership roles, it is more effective if we highlight women’s capabilities and success stories.
So here’s a call: are you a woman active in the technology world? Then get out there and make yourself heard. And yes, put your pride aside for a moment. If you aspire to a leadership role and you are offered such a position, seize the opportunity. Even if the role exists thanks to a quota initiative, you were not selected because of that quota. Your capabilities are the real reason, otherwise you would never have got the job. Also, share a LinkedIn post, present at an event, or participate in a panel discussion. It’s not going to solve everything, but at least it will change the perception that technology is a man’s world.
Taking advantage of new opportunities
It’s not all roses, but we can certainly highlight the positive evolutions too. And emphasise that things have really been set in motion. AI is a gamechanger that creates opportunities for everyone in society. It is not a technology that is coming to replace us and take over our jobs. AI is the basis of new roles and functions that are going to leverage our human skills and creativity more than ever.
Let it be an incentive to fully embrace AI and develop ourselves so that we can grow into those new roles. On that front, we women are already doing very well.
Véronique Van Vlasselaer is analytics & AI lead South West & East Europe at SAS
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