Women in Technology 2026 places women at heart of future of AI and tech

Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK), stressed that the future of technology and innovation requires empowering women to move from participation to influence and decision-making in shaping the future. She underlined the importance of creating an environment that enables women to develop their ideas and transform them into impactful projects and solutions.

Sheikha Bodour made the remarks while opening the seventh edition of the Women in Technology 2026 Forum, organised by SPARK under her patronage, under the theme “The 2050 Mindset.” The forum brought together prominent female, government and executive leaders, researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs to discuss the transformations that will shape technology, economies and societies over the coming decades.

Sheikha Bodour said, “The year 2050 may seem far off, but it is already being influenced by the decisions we make, the research we fund and the technologies we build. Women must therefore be fully present where the priorities, boundaries and purpose of technology are defined, with the authority to shape outcomes. Emirati women have shown what is possible when opportunity encounters trust and responsibility. Our task now is to build on that progress and ensure women everywhere can play a full part in creating a technological future that serves people and strengthens society.”

Her remarks reflect the core of the 7th edition of the forum, which moved beyond focusing on the importance of women’s participation in the technology sector to emphasising their role as leaders, innovators and decision-makers capable of helping shape the industries and technologies that will define 2050 and beyond.

The “2050 Mindset”, the theme of the forum, reflects this shift in perspective. The question is not only what technology will look like in the future, but also who will design that technology, who will lead the industries linked to it, and who will determine its impact on societies and economies.

Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of SPARK, stressed that the future is not a destination we wait to reach, but the result of the choices we make today. He noted that empowering women in technology is not only about inclusion, but about expanding societies’ capacity to innovate, compete and build a better future.

Al Mahmoudi said, “The future is not a destination we wait to reach; it is the result of the choices we make today. When we talk about 2050, the question is not only what technology we will use, but a more important question: who will design that technology? And who will shape its direction and impact on our economies, our societies and the way we live?” “Emirati women have moved beyond participation to become active contributors to the knowledge economy and to the fields of science, technology, research and entrepreneurship. The opportunity before us now is to ensure that women are at the heart of the decisions shaping the industries and technologies of tomorrow,” Al Mahmoudi added.

WAM