TLDR: A recent report by venture capital firm Kalaari Capital indicates that women currently constitute only one-fifth (20%) of India’s artificial intelligence and machine learning workforce. However, this figure is projected to increase nearly fourfold by 2027, reaching an estimated 3.3 to 3.4 lakh women in AI roles. The report, titled ‘Wired for Impact: Women in Ind(AI)’, acknowledges India’s global leadership in female STEM education but also sheds light on significant challenges such as career progression disparities, a persistent gender pay gap, and underrepresentation in leadership and core AI development roles.
A new report from venture capital firm Kalaari Capital, titled ‘Wired for Impact: Women in Ind(AI)’, reveals a dynamic yet challenging landscape for women in India’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) workforce. Launched at the No Ceiling Summit in Delhi on October 31, 2025, the report projects a nearly fourfold increase in women’s participation in these critical technology sectors by 2027.
Currently, women comprise approximately one-fifth, or 20%, of India’s AI and ML professionals, accounting for around 84,000 individuals. Kalaari Capital’s analysis forecasts this number to surge to an impressive 3.3 to 3.4 lakh by 2027. This anticipated growth is attributed to factors such as more accessible AI education, flexible learning pathways, and escalating industry demand.
India stands out globally for women’s engagement in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education, with women making up 43% of annual STEM enrollments. Furthermore, AI/ML has emerged as the most preferred career path for women in technology, with 41% of women opting for these domains, a figure slightly higher than the 37% among men. The report also highlights a significant increase in women’s engagement with AI tools like ChatGPT, which has nearly tripled in the last two years, mirroring a broader global trend in digital adoption.
Despite these promising trends, the report cautions that growth in numbers does not automatically translate to parity in influence or opportunity. Women in the AI sector often remain clustered in data-heavy roles such as engineering and analytics, while their presence is notably scarce in core model development, product design, and leadership positions. This disparity is further compounded by challenges in pay and progression.
According to the report, approximately 40% of women surveyed feel they are not paid fairly, and the gender pay gap widens significantly with seniority, from 4% at entry-level to 16% in senior roles. Many women are also excluded from high-visibility or strategic projects that are crucial for career advancement. In the generative AI (GenAI) industry specifically, women constitute roughly one-third of entry-level positions, but this drops to two in ten at the senior level.
Funding for women-led AI startups also presents an uneven picture. Out of $542 million raised by women-led AI startups, over $320 million was secured by just five companies. Among India’s 24 AI startups that have raised over $50 million, only four include a woman co-founder, and none have an all-women founding team.
Industry leaders have weighed in on the importance of diversity in AI development. Pragya Misra, Head of Policy & Partnerships at OpenAI, stated, “AI can be the ultimate empowerment tool, but only if it’s built with everyone, not just for them. An AI developed by a homogenous group won’t just be biased; it will be blind to real-world challenges and opportunities. This is why we view diversity as the most essential form of quality control for an equitable and effective AI future.”
Kalika Bali, Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft, emphasized the need for comprehensive support: “For women in India to move from users to real shapers of AI, we need to open doors across the entire pipeline—from giving girls access to computational thinking early on, to funding more women-led AI research and startups, to ensuring women’s voices are present in policy and product design rooms. It’s about building both the skills and the structures that let women influence what AI is built for, not just how it’s used.”
Vani Kola, Managing Director of Kalaari Capital, underscored the broader impact of inclusive innovation, adding, “When the systems we build learn and reason from a narrow or biased worldview, they risk encoding those same limitations into the intelligence that shapes our future. If India is to build better and more trustworthy AI for the world, diversity must be treated as a mission-critical KPI—one we actively measure, invest in, and achieve together.”
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The report also spotlights initiatives aimed at fostering inclusivity, such as AI Kiran, a government-supported program that aims to train one million women in AI by 2028, signaling a concerted effort to bridge the existing gaps and unlock India’s full potential as an AI powerhouse.
