Behind the headlines about AI capabilities and corporate deployments lies an industry grappling with representation. Women occupy a fraction of AI research positions and developer roles, their presence diminishing further up the corporate ladder where key decisions about technology direction are made.
This imbalance ripples through the technology itself. AI systems inherit their worldview from training data, which in turn reflects the perspectives and priorities of their architects. When leadership lacks diversity, the resulting technology risks perpetuating existing biases rather than breaking them down.
Yet change is brewing. In this issue, AI Magazine spotlights the Top 10 Women in AI.
10. Mira Murati
Role: Founder
Company: Thinking Machines Lab
Mira Murati is a leading AI researcher and former CTO – and briefly interim CEO – at OpenAI, where she played a key role in the development of ChatGPT and DALL-E. In late 2024, she founded Thinking Machines Lab, a startup focused on AI safety research.
Mira has been a vocal advocate for ethical AI and AI alignment, ensuring that AI systems are developed with safety and transparency in mind. A mechanical engineer by training, she has extensive experience in AI model development and deep learning applications.
9. Daniela Amodei
Role: President
Company: Anthropic
Daniela Amodei is the President of Anthropic, an AI research company focused on AI safety and responsible AI development. A co-founder of Anthropic, she has been instrumental in leading the company’s development of Claude, one of the most advanced AI large language models.
Prior to joining Anthropic, Daniela worked at OpenAI, where she focused on AI alignment and governance. Her leadership at Anthropic has positioned the company as a key player in AI safety research, working to create more transparent and controllable AI systems.
8. Daniela Braga
Role: CEO
Company: Defined.ai
Daniela Braga is the Founder and CEO of Defined.ai, which specialises in AI data solutions and synthetic data generation. With a PhD in Speech Recognition and extensive expertise in computational linguistics, she has been instrumental in advancing NLP and voice AI technologies.
Daniela has played a significant role in shaping global AI policies, contributing to regulatory discussions on AI ethics. She was a key advisor to the White House National AI Initiative and has been recognised as one of the most influential women in AI.
7. Dena Al Mansoori
Role: Group Chief AI and Data Officer
Company: e&
Dena Al Mansoori serves as the Group Chief AI and Data Officer at e&, formerly known as Etisalat Group. In this role, she leads the organisation’s AI and data strategy across 38 countries, focusing on revolutionising customer experiences, unlocking new revenue streams and optimising internal operational efficiencies.
Prior to this, Dena was the Group Chief Human Resources Officer at e&. Before joining e&, she founded WhiteBox HR, an AI tech company specialising in analytics and machine learning.
6. Jaime Teevan
Role: Chief Scientist
Company: Microsoft
Jaime Teevan is the Chief Scientist at Microsoft, where she leads AI research initiatives focused on productivity, automation and human-AI collaboration. With a background in information retrieval and machine learning, Jaime has pioneered AI-powered tools within Microsoft 365, revolutionising workplace efficiency.
A longtime advocate for the ethical and responsible use of AI, Jaime has worked on guidelines ensuring Microsoft’s AI systems are fair, transparent and user-friendly, and frequently publishes research on AI’s impact on work culture and digital collaboration.
5. Joelle Pineau
Role: VP of AI Research
Company: Meta
Joelle Pineau is the VP of AI Research at Meta, leading its efforts in AI innovation, open-source AI models and ethical AI development. A specialist in reinforcement learning and deep learning, she has played a critical role in advancing Meta’s AI capabilities.
Joelle has been a strong advocate for transparency in AI research, pushing Meta to make AI systems more accessible to the broader scientific community. Prior to joining Meta, she was a professor at McGill University and co-director of the Reasoning and Learning Lab.
4. Debbie Weinstein
Role: President EMEA
Company: Google
Debbie Weinstein serves as President of Google in the EMEA region, overseeing AI strategy, innovation and market expansion. With a background in digital advertising and AI-driven marketing, she has played a key role in integrating AI into Googles advertising platforms.
Before taking on the EMEA leadership role in 2024, she held executive positions at YouTube and Google Ads, where she championed AI-powered content moderation and predictive analytics. She is a strong advocate for diversity in AI leadership and actively supports initiatives aimed at increasing female representation in the tech industry.
3. Lila Ibrahim
Role: Chief Operating Officer
Company: Google DeepMind
Lila Ibrahim is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Google DeepMind, one of the world's leading AI research labs. Since joining DeepMind in 2018, she has played a pivotal role in scaling operations, driving AI research strategy and ensuring the responsible development of AI.
Lila began her career at Intel, where she held multiple leadership positions over two decades, and later served as Chief Business Officer at Coursera. At DeepMind, Lila works closely with AI researchers and engineers to bring breakthroughs in deep learning, reinforcement learning and Gen AI into real-world applications.
2. Dr Fei-Fei Li
Role: AI Researcher & Professor
Company: Stanford University
Dr Fei-Fei Li is a world-renowned AI researcher, professor at Stanford University, and a pioneer in computer vision and deep learning. She co-founded the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute and played a vital role in developing ImageNet, a dataset that revolutionised AI training methodologies.
In addition to her academic contributions, Fei-Fei has advised major tech firms and co-founded AI startups focusing on real-world AI applications. Her work has been fundamental in advancing AI ethics, advocating for the responsible use of AI in healthcare, education, and autonomous systems. Fei-Fei is a strong proponent of diversity in AI and has launched several initiatives aimed at increasing female participation in AI research. She frequently speaks at global AI conferences, shaping the conversation on the future of human-centred AI. Her contributions have earned her numerous awards and recognition as one of the most influential figures in AI.
1. Dr Lisa Su
Role: President and CEO
Company: AMD
Dr Li is the President and CEO of AMD, a position she has held since 2014. Under her leadership, AMD has become a dominant force in the semiconductor industry, particularly in AI-driven chip technology. Lisa spearheaded the development of cutting-edge AI processors, competing with Nvidia and Intel in the race for AI-powered computing. Her leadership has helped transform AMD into a key player in cloud computing, data centres and AI acceleration, driving innovation in machine learning workloads.
She holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT and has authored over 40 technical papers. Lisa has been widely recognised for her contributions to AI and semiconductor advancements, earning a place on Forbes' Most Powerful Women in Tech lists. She is also a key advocate for diversity in STEM, promoting opportunities for women and underrepresented groups in engineering and AI research.
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