Preserving our voice: Why women must shape the future of AI and cybersecurity

International Women's Day is complicated for me, and I don't mean that in a negative way. Women have always been the ones who give. We give to each other. We give to our families. We give to our communities. That's what we do. But in today's world, especially with the rapid advancement of AI, I'm not sure "giving" is always the right word. Maybe right now, it's about preserving. Preserving our voices. Preserving our perspectives. Making sure we are shaping what's being built, not just adapting to it.

 We are at an inflection point. AI is no longer theoretical; it is embedded in how we work, how we learn, how we receive healthcare, how we secure our digital lives. The systems being trained today will influence decisions for decades. If women are not involved in designing, training and governing these technologies, then our absence will be felt in their outcomes.

 AI is already delivering incredible results. Breast cancer screening is a powerful example of where it's improving health outcomes and saving lives. Earlier detection, more accurate diagnostics, better patient pathways - these are tangible benefits. But there are also areas where AI isn't serving women well. Bias still finds its way into algorithms. Data sets are incomplete. Assumptions are coded in. And when bias scales, it scales quickly.

 That's the challenge. So when I talk about giving today, I mean giving women a voice, especially in AI development and ethical deployment. We need more women in engineering teams, in product strategy, in cybersecurity, in governance roles, and in boardrooms where decisions about technology investment are made. Diversity in those rooms isn't a "nice to have." It is a safeguard. It improves resilience. It strengthens security. It reduces blind spots.

 In cybersecurity in particular, the stakes are high. AI is being used by defenders to detect threats faster and more accurately, but it's also being used by attackers. The way these systems are trained, monitored and secured will shape digital trust. Women must be part of those conversations. If we are serious about building secure AI, then we must build inclusive AI.

 If you know women who are capable of coding, of building, of shaping these systems, but who may lack confidence, bring them in. Fast-track them. Sponsor them. Not just mentor them, but advocate for them when opportunities arise. Give them a seat at the table while the builders are still building. Because now is the moment that will define the future. Once systems are embedded at scale, it becomes much harder to retrofit fairness, representation or ethical guardrails.

 The same applies to gender pay. In my experience, women don't talk about pay nearly as openly as men do. We don't compare notes. We don't say, "This is what I'm earning, what are you earning?" And when we eventually find out we're underpaid, it's disheartening. But we have to ask: are we asking for more? Are we being transparent with each other?

 Pay gaps don't close themselves. Organisations have a responsibility to review and correct inequities, but we also have the power of transparency. When we share information, we reduce isolation. We replace doubt with data. We give each other leverage.

 When I started being open about what I was paid, and what I believed I should be paid, I realised I was vastly underpaid. It was only then that my career accelerated. Transparency changed everything. It shifted how I saw my own value. It changed how I negotiated. It changed how others perceived my confidence.

 Another area where women have helped me enormously is financial confidence. We often feel trapped by our salary or circumstances, especially when juggling family and career. Other women encouraged me to truly understand my money: how to manage it, invest it, plan for retirement, and understand what my choices really meant for my long-term independence. That financial clarity is power. It turns fear into strategy. It turns uncertainty into options.

 And confidence compounds. When you feel financially secure, you are more willing to take on a stretch role, move into a technical field, step into leadership, or challenge unfairness. Financial literacy is not separate from equality; it underpins it.

 So, if I think about what women have given me, it's this: the confidence to ask for fair pay, the encouragement to pursue challenging opportunities, the sponsorship to step into rooms where decisions are made, and the financial insight to make informed life choices.

 And if you're in a position to give something this International Women's Day, give another woman her voice. Give her transparency. Give her sponsorship. Give her the confidence to shape the technologies that are shaping our world. Because this is not just about inclusion. This is about influence. This is the moment to build a future that truly includes us and reflects us.