Where Are the Women Leading AI Companies?

A Global Look at Female CEOs in Artificial Intelligence

Let’s start with a riddle.

What’s shaping the future, disrupting industries, automating everything... and still doesn’t have many women in the driver’s seat?

Answer: AI companies. And no, we’re not smiling about it either. 😐

As artificial intelligence continues to transform our world, one glaring question remains: Where are the women at the helm? Who’s leading these companies, steering the algorithms, and ensuring innovation doesn’t come with a side of systemic bias?

Let’s dig into the numbers—and the power players changing the narrative.

📊 The Stats: Women in AI Leadership? Still Rare.

Globally, only 22% of AI professionals identify as women, and when it comes to the C-suite, the gap gets even wider. Across major AI startups and enterprise-level companies, female CEOs make up less than 10% of leadership roles.

Let that sink in.

We're talking about an industry predicted to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030, and women are still fighting for seats at the table—let alone the head of it.

Why does this matter? Because leadership shapes technology. The values and vision of the people running these companies get coded—literally—into the products we all use. Without diverse leadership, AI risks being not just biased, but blind to the world beyond its (often male-dominated) training data.

👑 Who Is Leading the Charge?

Despite the odds, some incredible women are carving out space at the top. Here are a few names you should know:

🔹 Poppy Gustafsson – CEO, Darktrace

Co-founder and CEO of this UK-based cybersecurity firm, Poppy is proof that women can lead billion-dollar AI-powered companies with global impact.

🔹 Wendy Tan White – CEO, Intrinsic (Alphabet)

An experienced tech executive, Wendy is leading Intrinsic—Alphabet’s robotics software company—into the future of human-AI collaboration.

🔹 Dr. Iman Abuzeid – CEO, Incredible Health

With a focus on AI-powered healthcare staffing, Dr. Abuzeid is revolutionizing how hospitals connect with skilled professionals. Oh, and she’s doing it while raising millions in venture capital.

🔹 Amanda Johnstone – CEO, Transhuman

Blending emotion AI with mental health innovation, Amanda is putting human-centered design at the heart of artificial intelligence.

🔹 Lucy Guo – Co-founder, Scale AI

While she’s no longer active at Scale AI, Lucy’s foundational work helped build one of the fastest-growing AI data companies out there. Tech bros walked, but Lucy built the pavement.

🌍 Global Comparison: We’re Behind

Countries like Canada and the UK are starting to push initiatives for diversity in AI, and the EU has begun incorporating gender equity into its AI research funding. But globally, the presence of female AI CEOs remains low—especially in venture-backed startups where investors still overwhelmingly fund male-led teams.

So, yeah. The AI glass ceiling is real. And thick.

✊ What Can We Do?

If you're reading this, you're already part of the resistance (go you!). But here are a few practical moves we can all make:

• Support women-led AI companies with your time, dollars, and clicks.

• Mentor and amplify upcoming women in tech and AI.

• Call out the bias, especially in hiring, funding, and media recognition.

• Start your own thing. Seriously. If they won’t give you a seat, build a new table (and invite your sisters).

💬 Let's Talk About It

What woman-led AI company inspires you? Or are you starting one yourself? (We’d love to shout you out.)

📥 Hit reply and tell us—because representation doesn’t just change headlines. It changes history.

🏷️ Tags:

#WomenInAI

#SheLeadsTech

#TechSheThink

#AILeadership

#STEMinism

#FeministFuture

#WomenWhoCode

#FoundHer

#CEOGoals