Get Inspired: 22 Women Leaders in AI and Machine Learning

The queen bee of AI, Mira Murati. This Albanian-born powerhouse is the brains behind some of the most mind-blowing AI creations we've seen in recent years. As the Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI, Mira's been busy cooking up a storm in the digital kitchen, serving us hot dishes like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and GPT-4. Talk about a tech-tastic menu!

Born in 1988 in Vlorë, Albania, Mira's journey to the top of the tech world is nothing short of inspirational.

Meet Hind Azegrouz, Intel's lead for AI inference and a true silicon siren. This tech titan is not just crunching numbers; she's reshaping the future of AI one algorithm at a time! Hind's journey in the world of artificial intelligence is nothing short of electrifying. With a PhD that's more loaded than a high-performance CPU, she's been computing her way to the top since day one. At Intel, she's leading the charge in AI inference, making sure our machines are not just smart, but lightning-fast too. Talk about giving AI a turbo boost!

Alicia Kavelaars, the cosmic queen of robotics and OffWorld's co-founder and chief technology officer. This stellar woman is truly out of this world (pun absolutely intended)! With a mind as vast as the universe itself, Alicia is changing the AI and robotics industry faster than you can say “Houston, we have a problem!” Her mission? To create an AI-powered robotic workforce that can tackle the most extreme environments on Earth and beyond. Talk about reaching for the stars!

Leily Mohammadi, the queen of predictive analytics who's making waves at Shell Canada. With over a decade of experience under her belt, Leily is the mastermind behind unlocking millions of dollars in value through her data wizardry.

Leily's not just crunching numbers; she's leading a diverse team of five data scientists and engineers, turning raw data into gold faster than you can say “machine learning”! Her secret sauce? A unique blend of technical expertise and leadership skills that's as smooth as the oil she helps process.

Faranak is like the Sherlock Holmes of the digital pathology world, using her super-sleuthing AI skills to crack the case of cancer diagnosis. With a Ph.D. from Queen Mary University of London tucked under her lab coat, she's been on a mission to revolutionize how we detect and understand cancer.

At Inify Laboratories, Faranak is cooking up some seriously smart algorithms that are helping to diagnose cancer faster and more accurately than ever before.

Rebecca Gorman, the tech virtuoso and CEO of Aligned AI. With a knack for aligning artificial intelligence with human values, Rebecca is a true maestro in the AI orchestra. She’s not just playing the tech game; she’s rewriting the rules! Her journey from Silicon Valley to the helm of Aligned AI is the stuff of legends, filled with innovation, advocacy, and a sprinkle of entrepreneurial magic.

Rebecca's career is a testament to her passion for responsible AI. She built her first AI system 20 years ago—talk about an early start!

Fion Lee-Madan, the dynamic Co-Founder and COO of Fairly AI, where she’s not just breaking glass ceilings but shattering them with AI governance! With over two decades of tech experience, Fion is a force to be reckoned with in the AI industry. Her journey is a testament to the power of combining technical prowess with a passion for ethical AI. As one of the best executives in Canada, she’s been recognized by the Globe and Mail for her leadership skills and innovative spirit.

Beate Hofer, the Group CIO at Volkswagen AG. Beate is not just any tech leader; she's a trailblazer with a 20-year career at Volkswagen, making her a true automotive tech veteran. “Shifting gears” in the tech world, Beate has held numerous leadership roles, including being a board member of CYMOTIVE Technologies, a company that provides cybersecurity solutions for the automotive industry. 

Anna isn't just any associate at Debevoise & Plimpton; she's the go-to gal for all things AI and emerging tech. With a brain that's as sharp as a tack and a wit to match, Anna's been turning heads in the legal world faster than you can say “objection overruled!”

This Harvard Law School grad (talk about a smart cookie!) isn't just sitting behind a desk pushing papers. Oh no, she's out there in the trenches, advising big shots on how to navigate the wild west of AI regulations. From the EU AI Act to the Digital Services Act, Anna's got it covered like a well-drafted contract.

Dr. Rosona Eldred, the machine learning engineer who's cooking up some seriously smart solutions at BASF. This data dynamo isn't just crunching numbers; she's whipping up AI recipes that are changing the game in the chemical industry. Talk about a perfect chemical reaction between brains and bytes!

Rosona's journey is like a well-optimized algorithm – constantly improving and adapting. With a Ph.D.

Jasmien isn't just any Senior Counsel at Mastercard; she's the guardian of our digital future, specializing in the dynamic duo of artificial intelligence and data protection. Talk about having your cake and eating it too! With her expertise, Mastercard is navigating the tricky waters of AI innovation while keeping our personal data locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

But don't let her serious job title fool you – Jasmien's approach to AI governance is anything but boring. She's like the Mary Poppins of the tech world, making the complex world of AI regulation a spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down.

Gloria Zhang, the whiz kid of DCM Ventures who's got an eye for the next big thing in AI. As an Investment Manager, Gloria isn't just crunching numbers – she's on a mission to transform early-stage technologies into successful business models that'll make your head spin!

Gloria's not your average investor. She's like a tech-savvy Sherlock Holmes, always on the lookout for those seemingly unconnected dots that, when linked, create the next groundbreaking AI innovation.

Jyoti Mishra, the senior data scientist at Peakon, a Workday company, who's turning words into wisdom faster than you can say “machine learning”! With over a decade of experience in the tech industry, Jyoti is like the Swiss Army knife of NLP. She's tackled everything from semantic search to conversational AI, and she's not afraid to get her hands dirty with knowledge graphs and ontology development. Talk about a linguistic superhero!

But Jyoti isn't just about crunching numbers and parsing sentences. She's a true T-shaped professional, wearing more hats than a milliner's shop.

Dr. Martinez isn't just your average tech whiz; she's a linguistic luminary with a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics, specializing in Conversation Analysis and Ethnography of Communication. Talk about having the gift of gab! She's taken her knack for nattering and turned it into a superpower, helping computers chat like humans. It's like she's teaching robots to small talk – next thing you know, they'll be gossiping at the water cooler!

At Flixbus, Carmen is the maestro of machine dialogue, orchestrating conversations between humans and AI that are smoother than a luxury bus ride.

Beatriz spent seven years at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, diving deep into Speech Technologies and Voice Interaction Design. Her work on Embodied Conversational Agents laid the groundwork for her current role, where she manages the design of global digital consumer products like the My Vodafone App and the digital assistant TOBi. Imagine juggling 300 million conversations a year across 15 markets—talk about a chatty job!

Beatriz is a staunch advocate for a more human, relevant, and inclusive technology industry.

As a Technical Specialist at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Henrike is a key player in navigating the complex waters of AI in financial markets. With a Ph.D. in Financial Service Regulation from the University of Sussex, she’s as sharp as a tack and twice as resilient. Her journey from academia to the FCA is a testament to her passion for innovation and regulation.

Henrike's career is a fascinating blend of technology and regulation, making her a perfect fit for the ever-evolving world of AI.

Meet Cortnie Abercrombie, a powerhouse in the world of artificial intelligence and the brilliant mind behind AI Truth, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting ethical and responsible AI practices. With a career as dynamic as a neural network, Cortnie has been a trailblazer in the tech industry, advocating for AI systems that are as fair and transparent as they are innovative.

Before founding AI Truth, Cortnie was an executive at IBM, where she led a Shark Tank-style AI solutions incubator, working with Fortune 500 companies to pioneer AI strategies that were both cutting-edge and responsible.

Stefania-Catalina Baincescu, the tech wizard who’s not just leading the charge at E.ON Software Development but also spearheading innovation at CAI Romania. With a knack for turning complex code into seamless solutions, Stefania is the kind of leader who makes you wonder if she’s secretly a superhero in disguise. Her journey from a NodeJS developer to a technical lead is nothing short of inspiring, proving that with the right mix of passion and perseverance, you can indeed conquer the tech universe.

As Elsevier's Responsible AI & Data Science Strategy Manager, Tessa is the guardian angel of ethical algorithms. She's not just crunching numbers; she's making sure those numbers play nice and fair! With a background in philosophy (yes, she can out-debate Socrates on ethics), Tessa brings a unique perspective to the tech world.

Tessa's not just talking the talk; she's walking the AI walk. She's a qualified IEEE CertifAIEd AI Ethics Assessor (try saying that five times fast!) and the Vice Chair of the IEEE's AI Impact Use Cases Initiative. Talk about wearing multiple hats – and all of them ethical!

 Supreet Kaur, the Assistant Vice President at Morgan Stanley who's turning data into dollars and algorithms into assets!Supreet isn't just crunching numbers; she's revolutionizing the way Morgan Stanley uses AI-driven products. With a knack for predictive analytics and a passion for data science, she's the wizard behind the curtain, conjuring up solutions that would make even the most seasoned Wall Street veterans say, “Now that's what I call smart money!”

But don't let her serious title fool you – Supreet's journey is as colorful as a well-designed data visualization.

Deena Gergis, the lead data scientist at Bayer who's giving a whole new meaning to “byte-ing” into big pharma! This data diva is not just crunching numbers; she's revolutionizing healthcare with her AI superpowers.Deena's journey is nothing short of inspirational.

With a Master's in Life Science Informatics from the University of Bonn (talk about brains and beauty!), she's been on a mission to unleash the untapped potential in all of us.

As a Senior Staff Machine Learning Scientist at Wayfair, Carolyn is the wizard behind the curtain, conjuring up AI magic that makes your shopping experience smoother than a silk pillowcase.With a PhD in Applied Physics and Scientific Computing from the University of Michigan, Carolyn's brain is wired for problem-solving. She's not just a data scientist; she's a data artist, painting beautiful patterns from the chaos of numbers.

Her specialty? Getting cutting-edge machine learning research out of the lab and into the real world, faster than you can say “add to cart“!

Next, let's chat about Fei-Fei Li, the brainiac behind ImageNet. This massive database of labeled images has been feeding computer vision algorithms their visual vitamins since 2009. Thanks to Fei-Fei, AI can now tell a hot dog from a not dog with scary accuracy. She's literally helping machines see the world in a whole new light!