SheSparks 2025: Women leaders call for ethical AI practices and inclusivity in tech
At SheSparks 2025 held in Bengaluru, women leaders came together to discuss various measures to combat gender bias and ethical concerns within AI development.
Women are no longer on the sidelines of technological advancement—they’re leading the charge, by driving innovation worldwide. At the core of this development lies artificial intelligence, where demand shows no signs of slowing down.
At SheSparks 2025 held in Bengaluru, women leaders came together to discuss various measures to combat gender bias and ethical concerns within AI development, during the panel discussion titled "Superwomen in Supercomputing".
The panelists included Aditi Nanda, Director, Ecosystem and Industry, Intel India; Anindita Veluri, Director Marketing, Adobe India; Geetha Adinarayan, CTO, IBM Consulting, India and South Asia; and Sangeetha Yanamandra, VP, Software Engineering and Site Leader – Hyderabad, OpenText, who discussed ethics and inclusivity in tech in a session moderated by Sangeeta Bavi, COO of YourStory.
The panel began by discussing how organisations can address ethical concerns for responsible AI development. From a computational perspective, the key is to transform input data into fair, unbiased output, believes Anindita Veluri.
“AI starts with a basic modeling exercise built on data. Input the right data–it starts with that. Just like food packaging, which has all ingredients on the back, consumers also have the right to know what goes into AI. The demand and supply chain has to work together. Therefore, it’s our collective responsibility to keep asking for the right inputs so that the right results come out,” Veluri said.
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“We are looking at the things that were created before, and are trying to operate on those creations. If at all we need to change those biases, we need to be the creators that will change everything. Whether it’s a small article on LinkedIn or an invention that you make for a client – we can take the lead and change this,” added Geetha Adinarayan.
Echoing this, Sangeetha Yanamandra stressed about the importance of organisations taking steps to lead the adoption of responsible AI.
“Organisations need to have some practices in place to arrest inconsistencies and bias in the data, because the results from the AI models will create a lot of inconsistencies, and the result will be any decision, which will take the organisation upside down,” she explained.
Driving inclusivity
While women in the tech sector earn fractionally more than men, they still represent only 21% of the workforce, according to a report by business consulting firm Prosperity 24/7.
To bridge this gap, OpenText is implementing women-led targeted initiatives for employees, with upskilling in AI being the primary focus, revealed Yanamandra.
“Some of the strategies we use to attract more women employees, especially in AI, include our strong mentorship program. Here, women engineers can meet and learn from role models within our system,” she said.
The company has built a dedicated forum in Hyderabad called 'WISE'—Women In Search of Excellence, which is run by women, for women. This forum meets monthly, providing women employees a platform to discuss various topics, network internally, and prioritise upskilling, particularly in emerging technological areas.
However, meaningful inclusivity extends beyond organisational efforts, said Aditi Nanda, Director, Ecosystem and Industry, Intel India.
“There are many organisations that are running such initiatives, but also somewhere it begins with (one)self. We need to be ready for any opportunity that comes – that is the first step. By upskilling and reskilling yourself with skillsets to take those opportunities…Whatever you learn, put it out there. That is how ecosystems thrive. It is not going to be something like ‘I learn and I keep to myself’, It is ‘I learn and I teach somebody else’ as well,” she added.
Adoption of AI
Adoption of AI in India has reached a crucial tipping point, with over 30% of Indian companies are maximising value through the use of AI, states a BCG report. However, Adinarayan highlighted that there is a growing appetite in industries towards adopting emerging and disruptive technologies.
“The focus has shifted from questioning the 'what' and 'why' to understanding the 'how', 'how quickly', and 'how safely'. We don’t have to wait and try to see if something delivers results,” she said.
On the other hand, for Veluri, AI is a ‘beautiful technology’ that democratises creativity across industries. “Creativity has evolved. It has played such a transformative role when it comes to experiences. AI is a beautiful technology; it democratises…because you don’t have to be an artist to be able to create. It supercharges everything that you do and enables the entire creativity ecosystem,” Veluri added.
Edited by Jyoti Narayan