AI scientist, entrepreneur, and investor Rana el Kaliouby has expressed concern that artificial intelligence risks becoming another "boys' club" within the technology sector. Speaking at the SXSW conference in Austin on Sunday, she warned that a lack of diversity in the field could result in significant economic disadvantages for women in tech, with broader consequences. When asked whether the perception of AI as a boys' club is a myth, el Kaliouby stated on stage, "I think AI today is a boys' club. I think diversity is not a very popular conversation topic these days, but I think it’s so important because AI is creating incredible economic opportunity."

El Kaliouby, who sold her emotion-detection software company Affectiva in 2021 and now serves as co-founder and General Partner at Blue Tulip Ventures, noted that three out of four investments at her firm are in startups led by women CEOs. She clarified, "I don’t 'just' invest in women. But I really try to seek these women founders and support them, if not by a check, but in other ways, because they’re not getting the opportunity that they should and they need."

"If women are left out—because they’re not founding these companies, because they’re not getting the funding, because they’re not even investing in the funds that are investing in these companies—we’re going to look back five years from now or a decade from now, and…we’re going to have widened the economic gap like crazy. So this is something that really concerns me," el Kaliouby emphasized.

Her comment about diversity being an "unpopular" topic follows the rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives under the Trump administration, a trend that subsequently influenced the tech industry. These shifts affect not only hiring practices at tech companies but also how products are developed. In AI, for example, companies may feel compelled to align their models' outputs with the priorities of the White House.

For el Kaliouby, the issue extends beyond potential economic disparities to the actual outcomes of AI development. She added, "I do think we are living in a very exciting time. But I also feel strongly that if we don’t intervene, like, if we don’t really stand up for what we care about like ethics and diversity of thought and perspective, and prioritizing this idea of centering around the humans…the outcome may not be great. So I feel like it’s a very critical moment to use our voices and our leadership to shape where this is going."