Women Shaping AI - From Conversation to Collective Action
AI is shaping our future. How do we ensure women have a voice in shaping it?
According to LinkedIn's Economic Graph research, women accounted for just 26% of new U.S. AI hires in 2025 and hold only 13% of executive AI roles at AI companies across 27 countries.
As AI transforms how we work, build businesses, and live our lives, it's critical that women's voices, ideas, and expertise are represented, not just in adopting AI, but in shaping what comes next.
Women Shaping AI, an initiative founded by Nirnaya Lohani through her community AI, Her Way, is creating space to make women's leadership and contributions in AI more visible, spark meaningful conversations, and inspire more women to actively participate in shaping the future of technology.
Our first in-person stop: Utah.
About the Event
We're bringing together leading women from Utah's AI ecosystem for an interactive conversation about increasing women's influence, visibility, and leadership in AI.
We'll hear from women driving innovation across technology, entrepreneurship, business, and workforce development, exploring the opportunities, barriers, and choices shaping AI's future.
Then we’ll break into small groups to tackle important questions, exchange ideas, and identify concrete actions we can take to shape AI’s future.
This event is open to everyone, regardless of industry or AI experience. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, business leader, student, technologist, or simply curious about AI, we want your perspective in the room.
This event is co-hosted by AI, Her Way and The AI Collective’s Salt Lake City Chapter, in partnership with Women at Adobe.
Special thanks to aiti for being our Community Sponsor.
Meet the Women Shaping the Conversation
Sunny Washington: Sunny is the cofounder and CEO of OrcaPanda. OrcaPanda is your always-on strategic marketing partner that understands your brand, maintains context, so that each recommendation builds on the last. She's spent two decades being a part of the Utah startup ecosystem from building the first sales and marketing team at Instructure (IPO 2015) to co-founding Because Learning (acquired in 2021).
B333 Jon3s: is a Tech Anthropologist specializing in AI and gamification, and CXO of ElizaChat, the company behind NUE, the mental fitness app. She advises on technology ethics legislation at the state and federal level and partners with universities on neuroscience and behavioral research. She advocates for a human-centered, cross-functional approach to technology, policy, and mental wellness.
Florencia Silveira: is a Manager of AI/ML Engineering in AI Operations at BambooHR, where her team focuses on building AI solutions across the organization. Trained in the social sciences before moving into data science, she'll bring a researcher's perspective to what social science methods bring to AI work, what changes when engineers sit with the people they're building for, and how to tell which AI investments are worth making.
Heather Nemelka: is a keynote speaker, technology leader, and founder of Elavare, a nonprofit helping women return to the workforce and advance their careers. She serves as Chair of the Silicon Slopes AI Chapter, an advisor to BYU's AI Foundry, and on several corporate and nonprofit boards. With leadership experience at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other technology companies, Heather brings a practical perspective on AI, business, and the changing workforce. She's passionate about helping more women use AI to create opportunities and shape the future of technology.
Moderated by Nirnaya, founder of AI, Her Way.
What We’ll Explore
Through a panel conversation and interactive breakout discussions, we’ll tackle questions including:
Representation: How do we ensure women’s perspectives influence how AI is developed, deployed, and governed
Visibility: How can women get greater recognition for their ideas, expertise, and contributions to AI?
Leadership: What barriers prevent women from taking on influential roles in AI, and how can we overcome them
Opportunity: How can women across industries, not just technology, help shape AI’s impact on business, work, and society?
Collective Action: What can we do together to amplify women’s voices and create more opportunities?
What You’ll Take Away
Inspiration: Fresh perspectives from women leading AI innovation in Utah.
Ideas: Practical ways to increase your influence and participate in shaping AI.
Connection: New relationships with women across industries who share your interests and ambitions.
Action: Opportunities to collaborate, advocate, and make women’s voices more visible in AI.
The evening
4:00 PM · Doors Open & Networking
4:15 PM · Welcome & Introductions
4:30 PM · Panel: Women Shaping AI
5:15 PM · Audience Q&A
5:30 PM · Interactive Breakout Discussions
6:10 PM · Group Takeaways
6:20 PM · Networking & Connections
6:40 PM · Wrap Up
AI's future is still being written. Let's make sure women's voices help shape it.
About AI, Her Way
AI, Her Way started with a simple belief: women should be architects of AI, not afterthoughts to it. What began as small gatherings in the Bay Area is now a community and newsletter for women across industries, talking honestly about how AI is changing work, creativity, leadership and family life. AI is the entry point. People are the point.
Women Shaping AI extends that community by bringing forward women already shaping AI through entrepreneurship, research, technology, industry, and community and creating more opportunities for other women to join them.
Subscribe to https://substack.com/@aiherway to hear about future gatherings and conversations first.
AI, Her Way is an independent community founded by Nirnaya and is not affiliated with or sponsored by LinkedIn.
About The AI Collective
The AI Collective is a global non-profit building the human layer for the AI era. We unite 200,000+ leaders, builders, and stakeholders across 100+ forums worldwide to democratize the frontier, build trust, and coordinate how society navigates the rapid acceleration of technological progress.
All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct.
We’re grateful to Adobe for generously opening their doors and providing the event space for Women Shaping AI - Utah.
Before you come
Bring a charged laptop if you'd like to participate in the hands-on experience.
This event is free, for women, and limited to 50 attendees. Registrations are approved to keep the room at capacity. If we fill up, join the waitlist and we'll release spots as they open.
Please register with your full legal name, as it may be required for entry into the Adobe offices.
Photography and video recording will take place throughout the event. By attending, you acknowledge that you may appear in event-related content.
Light refreshments will be provided.