By Federico Pienovi, CEO for APAC & MENA at Globant

When technologies go exponential, even experts are caught off guard. Generative AI is one of those inflection points and nowhere is this tension more profound than in healthcare and aging, particularly in the Gulf region where demographic realities are driving unprecedented transformation. In Saudi Arabia, the population over 60 is expected to increase fivefold by mid-century, making longevity no longer just a Western debate but a Middle Eastern economic and social reality where AI moves from optional to existential.

While most organizations struggle to operationalize AI beyond demos, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are building system-level infrastructure that represents the real story. Saudi Arabia is embedding AI throughout its healthcare system through Vision 2030, with the Saudi Genome Program using multi-omics data—genomics, proteomics, metabolomics—and AI to shift from reactive to predictive care, moving beyond isolated diagnostics toward continuous early detection models.

Riyadh recently showcased the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant, CAR-T cell therapy advancements, VR-based medical education, and mobile stroke units with advanced diagnostics, while digital twin technology and precision medicine are becoming standard rather than experimental. These initiatives reflect a national longevity strategy that positions geroscience research and personalized digital twins as core infrastructure, with private-sector innovators like Rewind building AI-powered diagnostics to prevent disease before it emerges.

The UAE has gone even further, treating longevity as a national industry with Abu Dhabi’s Pura Longevity Clinic offering AI-integrated assessments and personalized prevention programs that combine nutrition, sleep, fitness, and mental health services, positioning longevity medicine as mainstream rather than elite. Dubai aims to become the global capital of “well-care”, biohacking, stem-cell therapies, and AI-driven anti-aging, as part of a broader strategy to engineer the “100-year life” through advanced preventive and regenerative medicine.

The UAE now hosts 680 longevity companies and 670 investors across 100 innovation hubs spanning PharmTech, telemedicine, advanced cosmetics, mental health, and wellness, making longevity a full economic sector. The Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi is building a Healthy Longevity Medicine ecosystem with longevity-focused clinical care, innovation hubs, and population health research, while government-level commitment is evident through Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health convening global forums to accelerate personalized healthcare and longevity science.

Beyond the Hype: The Human Element

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: more AI doesn’t automatically mean better health. Like millions of others tracking sleep, monitoring recovery, and measuring stress variability, we risk becoming surrounded by dashboards of health metrics where everything is quantified and notified, yet the more data we collect, the more a critical question emerges—are we actually healthier, or simply more informed about our anxiety?

The healthcare system risks repeating the same mistake enterprises made with digital transformation, adding layers of technology without redesigning the underlying architecture, creating more apps, more portals, more fragmented experiences, with noise disguised as progress.

Harvard Medical School researchers have highlighted how AI can already match or exceed clinicians in specific diagnostic tasks, particularly in imaging and pattern recognition, while MIT’s Jameel Clinic has demonstrated how machine learning models can accelerate drug discovery cycles from years to months, and McKinsey estimates that generative AI could unlock up to $100 billion annually in value across pharma and medical products alone.

Yet the promise of AI in aging is not about adding intelligence everywhere,it’s about reducing friction and elevating judgment through agentic AI systems capable of orchestrating actions autonomously across complex environments, moving healthcare from reactive to anticipatory with adaptive health pathways tailored to biology, behavior, and environment instead of generic wellness advice.

We must be careful because biology is not software, data can be biased, predictions can be misinterpreted, and AI systems trained predominantly on specific datasets may fail in other populations, making governance, explainability, and medical accountability foundational requirements rather than afterthoughts.

The Bigger Picture

From a technology executive’s perspective, the next decade will redefine healthcare economics as systems shift from hospital-centered to prevention-centered models, payment structures evolve toward outcome-based frameworks, and AI doesn’t replace physicians but enables those who leverage it to outperform those who don’t.

The Middle East understands this transformation, with the UAE’s push into genomics and Saudi Arabia’s investments in biotech and digital health reflecting recognition that longevity will shape national competitiveness, where healthy lifespan, not just GDP, will define prosperity.

In these nations where governments are investing heavily in smart hospitals, genomics programs, and national AI strategies, the opportunity is enormous as they position themselves as global hubs for the future of healthspan and aging, demonstrating that AI is moving from experimentation to infrastructure with longevity becoming a national economic and healthcare priority.

Dr Maheen Hasib, Global Programme Director for BSc Data Sciences, School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Dubai

Artificial intelligence (AI) and data science are no longer distant or experimental ideas. They quietly sit behind many of the decisions that shape our everyday lives: how patients are diagnosed, how job applications are filtered, how loans are approved etc. These systems increasingly influence who gets opportunities and who does not. That reality makes one question impossible to ignore: who is building the algorithms that shape our future?

As a Programme Director for the Data Sciences programme at Heriot-Watt University, this question is not just academic for me, it is deeply personal. Every year, I meet capable, curious, and motivated young women who are genuinely interested in data science. Yet many hesitate. Not because they lack ability, but because they are unsure whether they truly belong in the field. Too often, they do not see people (like themselves) reflected in AI research, technical teams, or leadership roles. And that absence matters.

When bias in AI feels uncomfortably familiar

AI systems are often described as objective or neutral, yet they are trained in data shaped by human history, something that is far from neutral. When training data reflects existing gender imbalances, AI systems can replicate and even magnify those patterns. This has led to technologies that perform less accurately for women, fail to capture women’s health needs, or disadvantage women in recruitment and evaluation processes.

For many women, these outcomes feel uncomfortably familiar. They echo everyday experiences of being overlooked, misunderstood, or underrepresented. In most cases, this is not the result of deliberate exclusion. It is the consequence of design choices made without diverse perspectives at the table.

Why representation goes beyond numbers

Representation in AI and data science is often discussed in terms of statistics or diversity targets. But at its core, representation is about perspective. When women are involved in developing AI systems, they help shape how problems are defined, what data are considered relevant, and which risks are taken seriously.

From an academic perspective, diverse teams produce more robust research and better-tested models. From a human perspective, they help ensure that AI systems work for the full range of people they are meant to serve. Inclusion improves both technical quality and social impact, it strengthens the science and the society it serves.

Women and the future of ethical AI

Many women working in AI are already at the forefront of discussions around fairness, transparency, explainability, and responsible data use. These are not peripheral concerns; they are central to building trustworthy AI. Ethical AI requires asking difficult questions: Who might be harmed when a system fails? Whose data is missing? Who is affected by design decisions that seem minor on the surface?

By advocating for human-centered approaches, women in AI are helping shift the field beyond purely performance-driven metrics toward systems that balance innovation with responsibility.

Education, encouragement, and visibility matter

At Heriot-Watt University Dubai, we make a deliberate effort to encourage women to pursue data science, not just as a degree, but as a long-term career. This means creating supportive learning environments, highlighting female role models, and openly discussing the wide range of paths that data science can lead to. Students need to see that success in AI does not follow a single template.

Equally important are spaces where women can connect, share experiences, and feel supported. As an ambassador for Women in Data Science, I have seen how such events play a vital role. They create visibility, build confidence, and remind women that they are not alone. We need more of these initiatives, not as one-off celebrations, but as sustained platforms for mentorship, networking, and growth.

Encouraging women in AI is not about lowering standards or meeting quotas. It is about recognizing that inclusive participation leads to better research, more ethical technologies, and systems that genuinely reflect the societies they shape.

Conclusion

As AI and data science continue to influence our world, we must ask not only what these systems do, but who designs them. Supporting women to study data science, pursue AI careers, and step into leadership roles is essential to building technologies that are fair, responsible, and trustworthy. Through education, visibility, and initiatives, we can help ensure that the future of AI is shaped by many voices.

The future of AI should be one where women do not simply use technology but actively shape it.

Dr Heba El-Shimy, Assistant Professor (Data and AI), Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Dubai

Healthy societies, institutions, or teams operate best when comprising a healthy balance between males and females. A landmark study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) with the Technical University of Munich uncovered that companies with above-average gender diversity generated around 45% of their revenues from innovative products, compared to only 26% as innovative revenues for companies with below-average gender diversity. These findings are echoed in the scientific field. A 2025 study by Nature analyzing 3.7 million US patents revealed that inventing teams with higher participation of women are associated with increased novelty in patents. Research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology confirms that teams with more women exhibit significantly higher collective intelligence and are more effective at solving difficult problems. These studies tell one clear story: that participation of women in innovative and scientific fields is not only desirable — it is a strategic national asset.

UAE Women In STEM

The UAE holds one of the world’s most striking gender profiles in STEM education. According to UNESCO data, 61% of graduates in STEM fields are Emirati women, surpassing the Arab world average of 57% and nearly doubling the global average of 35%. At government universities, 56% of graduates are women, and they represent over 80% of graduates in natural sciences, mathematics, and statistics.

These numbers have translated into accomplishments that have captured global attention. The Emirates Mars Mission — the Hope Probe — was developed by a team of scientists that was 80% women, selected based on merit. Noora Al Matrooshi became the first Arab woman to complete NASA astronaut training in 2024. The Chair of the UAE Space Agency and the mission’s Deputy Project Manager is a woman: H.E. Sarah Al Amiri. At Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), female enrolment reached 28% within five years and continues to grow. Women’s talents are being recognised — this is not a mere future ambition, but a present reality.

Scientific Research As An Engine For National Strategy

The ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision sets ambitious goals: doubling GDP to AED 3 trillion, generating AED 800 billion in non-oil exports, and positioning the country as a global hub for innovation, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship. The UAE’s rise to the 30^th place in WIPO Global Innovation Index 2025 signals a steady pace towards achieving the UAE 2031 vision. Sustaining this ascent requires continued investment into human capital to produce research output, intellectual property, and commercial innovation at a pace matching the ambition. This is precisely where women scientists become indispensable.

Women scientists are already major contributors to the seven priority sectors identified in the UAE National Innovation Strategy: renewable energy, transport, education, health, technology, water, and space. UAE women scientists are research-active in climate science, sustainable materials, clean energy systems, AI-driven diagnostics in healthcare, and environmental monitoring — all crucial sciences that the national development commitments depend on.

Knowledge economies are built on the ability to generate, apply, and commercialize research locally — reducing the dependence on imported technologies and creating self-sustaining innovation ecosystems. When a researcher at UAEU develops patented computational methods for drug design, as Dr. Alya Arabi recently did with four patents spanning AI-driven pharmaceutical development and medical devices, that is intellectual property created on UAE soil, addressing healthcare challenges that would otherwise require imported solutions. When women scientists at Masdar City and Khalifa University advance research in solar energy systems, carbon captured materials, or sustainable desalination, they are producing foundational science that the UAE’s Net-Zero 2050 Strategy depends upon.

Masdar’s WiSER (Women in Sustainability, Environment and Renewable Energy) programme has graduated professional young women from over 30 nationalities, closing the gap in the global sustainability workforce. In healthcare, women scientists are active in the areas where AI, genomics, and precision medicine converge. The Emirati Genome Programme, M42’s Omics Center of Excellence, and the Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center all represent domains where locally produced research can reduce the country’s reliance on imported diagnostics and therapeutics.

From these examples, it is clear that women scientists’ and researchers’ contributions are a central pillar of the national R&D ecosystem.

A Regional And Global Perspective

The UAE’s experience is instructive for the wider region. Across the Arab world, up to 57% of STEM graduates are women, yet the MENA region maintains one of the lowest female workforce participation rates globally at 19%. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has made notable progress, with women’s workforce participation reaching 36.2% and women now comprising 40.9% of the Kingdom’s researchers. The challenge across the GCC and MENA is consistent: converting educational attainment into sustained professional participation and research output. Globally, only one in three researchers is a woman, and parity in engineering, mathematics, and computer science is not projected until 2052. UNESCO’s 2026 International Day of Women and Girls in Science theme — “From Vision to Impact” — captures this urgency well.

The Way Forward: From Vision To Impact

As an academic working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare research in Dubai, I witness this potential daily — in students who arrive with rigour and ambition, in researchers producing work that stands alongside the best globally, and in a national ecosystem that increasingly treats women’s scientific participation as a strategic priority rather than a social courtesy. But policies alone do not produce innovation. What produces innovation is funding, access to facilities, clear pathways from research to commercialisation, and the recognition that a woman scientist publishing a patent in the UAE is building national capability in exactly the same way as the infrastructure projects that make headlines.

Sustained commitment is key — from governments, institutions, and the private sector — to ensure that every woman scientist in this region has the funding, the platforms, and the pathways to convert her research into national impact. When women scientists thrive, nations innovate faster. The UAE understands this. Now it must ensure the rest of the ecosystem does too.