{"id":233786,"date":"2026-06-18T18:43:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T22:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/18\/saudi-women-lead-the-charge-at-the-intersection-of-ai-and-cybersecurity\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T08:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T12:00:23","slug":"saudi-women-lead-the-charge-at-the-intersection-of-ai-and-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/18\/saudi-women-lead-the-charge-at-the-intersection-of-ai-and-cybersecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi women lead the charge at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saudi women lead the charge at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.arabnews.pk\/node\/2647760\/business-economy<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-06-18 18:43:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.arabnews.pk<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
\n\tDHAHRAN: In a quiet corner of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, a group of Ph.D. candidates is working to solve some of the most pressing technological challenges of the modern era.<\/p>\n

\tAmong them are Asma Yamani and Linah Ali Abuhajar, two researchers operating at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity \u2014 fields that are increasingly shaping the future of technology.<\/p>\n

\tKFUPM, a STEM-focused institution founded in 1963 as an all-male university, opened its doors to women in 2019. The students featured in this story are among the first generation of women to study and graduate from the university, and one of their earliest priorities was building a community of support and collaboration.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWhat we like to highlight is experts \u2014 who happen to be women,\u201d Yamani told Arab News.<\/p>\n

\tThat vision recently came to life through the university\u2019s annual Women in Data Science conference, held as part of the global WiDS Worldwide initiative under the theme \u201cAI-Security Nexus.\u201d The event drew around 250 attendees from across the region.<\/p>\n

\tThis year\u2019s organizing team consisted of five students and was led by Yamani, who has been involved with the conference since women first enrolled at KFUPM.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cLet\u2019s start from the beginning in 2019, at the start of enrollment of female graduate students,\u201d Yamani said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe funny thing is, the speakers were already booked and they were going to come in like three days. And then the lockdown happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tLike many events during the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference began as a virtual gathering, later evolving into a hybrid format before returning fully in person.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAs AI transforms cybersecurity, it\u2019s not just strengthening our defenses, it\u2019s also reshaping the threat landscape in ways we\u2019re only beginning to understand,\u201d the conference press release reads.<\/p>\n

\t\u00a0Linah Ali Abuhajar speaks during Thursday’s Women in Data Science conference at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Alkhobar.\u00a0\u00a0(AN photo by Jasmine Bager)<\/p>\n

\tA poster competition attracted 85 submissions from KFUPM and other local universities, with cash prizes awarded to the top three entries.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe KFUPM 7th annual WiDS is an extension of a larger movement that started from Stanford University (in 2015),\u201d Yamani told Arab News.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThis year was about AI and cybersecurity. Finding those people who work in the intersection is hard, regardless of the gender. But then when you specify female, you get very unique perspectives,\u201d Yamani added.<\/p>\n

\tThe one-day event featured speakers from academia and industry, including Norah Al-Zahrani from Humain, who discussed \u201cSecuring the AI era.\u201d KFUPM\u2019s Abrar Al-Otaibi spoke about \u201cThe arms race to secure LLMs,\u201d while Noha Albadi explored the topic of Arabic religious hate-speech detection on social media.<\/p>\n

\tOther sessions included a presentation by Futun M. Al-Qahtani and Shouq Al-Qarni of Saudi Aramco on the company\u2019s AI-driven cybersecurity solutions. UCLA\u2019s Yuan Tian delivered a keynote address on security and privacy in extended reality systems, while Mastercard\u2019s Saja Al-Julaud joined virtually to discuss AI governance in fintech.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tDID YOU KNOW?<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\u2022 KFUPM began admitting women in 2019, making Yamani and Abuhajar part of the university\u2019s first generation of female graduates.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\u2022 The 7th annual Women in Data Science conference at KFUPM attracted around 250 participants from across the region.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\u2022 KFUPM recently launched a dedicated bachelor\u2019s degree in AI and Cybersecurity.<\/p>\n

\tAmong the workshop facilitators was Abuhajar, known as \u201cthe First female KFUPMer to launch a startup at DTV KFUPM.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tOriginally from Al-Ahsa, Abuhajar founded a Dhahran-based startup focused on developing virtual reality and AI solutions. Holding a master\u2019s degree in AI and currently pursuing a Ph.D. at KFUPM, her research examines human behavior and interaction in virtual environments.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe are including AI in all of our applications,\u201d Abuhajar told Arab News.<\/p>\n

\tFor many participants, the conference serves as more than an academic forum. It is also a platform for networking, mentorship and confidence-building.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe usually like to interface with computers more than with people, so the conference helps women to get out of this comfort zone and have to face-to face-time,\u201d Yamani said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe thing that is close to my heart is to see people who I know are shy come out of their shell a little bit more,\u201d Yamani said.<\/p>\n

\t\tOpinion<\/p>\n

\t\tThis section contains relevant reference points, placed in (Opinion field)<\/p>\n

\tExpected to graduate in 2027, Yamani says she is proud to pass the baton to the next generation of organizers.<\/p>\n

\tWhile the conference primarily targets graduate students and senior undergraduates, this year\u2019s attendance also included high school students \u2014 a development that reinforced the organizers\u2019 desire to inspire younger girls to pursue careers in science and technology.<\/p>\n

\tBeyond her academic work, Yamani is also a mother of three. That role has given her a deeper perspective on the future she and her peers are helping to build.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cNot everyone has families, but all Ph.D. students have other responsibilities, like having a startup,\u201d Yamani said.<\/p>\n

\tAsma Yamani\u00a0\u00a0speaks during Thursday’s Women in Data Science conference at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Alkhobar.\u00a0\u00a0(AN photo by Jasmine Bager)<\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tShe hopes more undergraduate students will take active roles in future editions of the conference.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThey\u2019re really the fuel of the university. The energy,\u201d Yamani said.<\/p>\n

\tRaised on the KFUPM campus, where her father was a professor, Yamani believes the university is moving in the right direction. This year, that progress was underscored by the launch of a new undergraduate program that mirrors the conference\u2019s central theme.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThis year, the AI and cybersecurity program started at KFUPM as a dedicated bachelors degree \u2014 independent of the event. It was nice to have that coincidence,\u201d Yamani said.<\/p>\n

\tMany students enrolled in the new program attended the conference, offering enthusiastic support and positive feedback \u2014 further evidence of a growing community of researchers and innovators helping shape Saudi Arabia\u2019s digital future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

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