Dubai AI Festival Roundtable on Role of AI in Sustainable Finance

• 25 Apr 2025

At Dubai AI Festival today I joined a really interesting roundtable discussion on the role of AI in sustainable finance … thank you for the invitation from DIFC and Bloomberg. A few observations (actually my opinions!):

• One of the most transformative opportunities for AI lies in scaling nature finance — especially across countries in Africa that are rich in natural capital and biodiversity, yet remain undervalued in today’s financial markets
• By leveraging AI to close data gaps around natural capital, we can enhance investor decision-making, recognize nature as an investable asset, and accelerate capital flows toward nature-positive outcomes
• One of the key barriers to AI adoption in sustainable finance across the MENA region is the disconnect between conversations — they are happening in separate rooms. With a bit of creative, cross-functional thinking, the potential is well within reach. It’s not rocket science—just leadership
• Where are all the women in AI? Attendance at Dubai AI Festival seemed to be about 95% men. I know many brilliant women working in or deeply interested in AI—so I can only assume we’re all too busy doing the actual work to attend the events. Inclusion matters, not just in algorithms, but in the rooms where ideas are shaped