India : South Asian Women in Tech (SAWiT), a leading community focused on empowering South Asian women in technology, has made significant strides in its ambitious initiative to train 10 million women across India in Generative AI skills. As part of this nationwide effort, SAWiT is intensifying its outreach in Hyderabad, aiming to equip women in the region with the expertise needed to contribute to India’s technological and economic growth.
In collaboration with T-Hub and the Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA), SAWiT hosted a pivotal event in Hyderabad today, marking a significant milestone in its mission to upskill 500,000 women in the first phase of its program. The event brought together key figures from the tech ecosystem to discuss strategies for empowering women with cutting-edge AI skills, setting the stage for broader outreach across the country.
Prominent dignitaries in attendance included Sri Vidya Reddy (Chairperson, CII IWN Telangana), Srinivas Rao Mahankali (CEO, T-Hub), Priya Gazdar (Chairperson, FICCI FLO), Alexander McLaren (Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate, Hyderabad), Sita Pallacholla (CEO, WE Hub), and Jit Putcha (HYSEA, Managing Committee & Diversity Forum Leader, LTIMindtree). A key panel discussion titled “Advancing Skilling and Support for Women in AI” explored strategies to bridge the gender gap in AI. Additionally, a Google-led workshop provided practical training on deploying Generative AI models and exploring real-world applications.
According to a Nasscom report on India’s digital talent pool, Hyderabad ranks 4th with 13-14% of the nation’s digital talent. This underscores the city’s strategic importance in SAWiT’s nationwide initiative and highlights the critical role Hyderabad’s startup and corporate ecosystem will play in advancing AI skills among women, helping to close the gender gap in technology.
SAWiT.AI, the flagship program of SAWiT, is a collaborative effort with GUVI and is set to launch on September 21, 2024. The program, supported by an esteemed advisory council that includes Roshni Nadar Malhotra (Chairperson, HCL Tech), Samantha Ruth Prabhu (actor and women’s empowerment advocate), and Farzana Haque (Senior Leader, Tata Consultancy Services), will unfold in three phases: the SAWiT.AI Learnathon, SAWiT.AI Hackathon, and SAWiT.AI Festival.
SAWiT’s mission is part of a broader vision to unlock India’s $550 billion economic potential by increasing women’s participation in the workforce. Built on Kalido’s AI-driven platform, SAWiT provides women with opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, entrepreneurship, job readiness, and large-scale job placements. This initiative is poised to advance individual careers while driving India’s aspiration to become the AI capital of the world, capture the $1.3 trillion GDP opportunity, and climb the economic complexity index rankings.
