Women in Technology 2026 urges women’s leadership in shaping AI and future tech
Speakers at the Sharjah forum called for women to move from participation to decision‑making in technology, while highlighting UAE STEM achievements and practical support for female founders.
Forum champions women as creators and decision‑makers in the technologies of 2050
Speakers at the seventh Women in Technology forum, organised by Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK) under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, argued that women must do more than join the technology workforce: they must lead the decisions that define how artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies evolve.
Opening the forum under the theme “The 2050 Mindset”, Sheikha Bodour emphasised the need to build environments that let women convert ideas into projects and policy‑shaping roles, so that future technologies serve societies and strengthen communities. The event convened female leaders from government, research, industry and entrepreneurship to debate long‑term priorities for technology, economies and social impact.
Hussain Al Mahmoudi, SPARK’s chief executive, said the future will be shaped by choices made today and that empowering women is central to expanding the capacity to innovate. He stressed the importance of ensuring women are present where technologies are designed and governed, not only where they are implemented.
The forum highlighted national progress in women’s participation in science and technology: women make up roughly half of the workforce in the UAE National Space Programme and about 80 per cent of the scientific team on the Hope Probe mission to Mars. The event also noted strong female representation among university STEM graduates and other sectors, while acknowledging persistent under‑representation in some areas of artificial intelligence and senior technical roles.
Sessions spanned leadership in uncertain times, technology for social good, the value of diverse perspectives in innovation, and the twin priorities of cybersecurity and sustainable technology for the decades ahead. Panels featured government AI and industry officials, health‑sector leaders and entrepreneurs. Contributions included a sustainability perspective from Maitha Nasser Khoori of Emirates Health Services, underscoring participation from Abu Dhabi health leadership among the speakers.
Practical measures to translate dialogue into enterprise were also announced. SPARK launched a Women in Technology Founder Launch Package to lower barriers to starting a business within the park, offering a 50 per cent discount on business setup with packages that can begin from AED3,000 and include licensing, mentorship and access to its innovation ecosystem.
Delegates underlined that moving from inclusion to influence requires not only representation but also targeted policies, funding and networks to ensure women lead the design, deployment and governance of the technologies that will define 2050.
Source: WAM