Azima Dhanjee is a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) and the Co-founder/CEO of ConnectHear, a social enterprise promoting Deaf inclusion and sign language accessibility in Pakistan. A graduate of IBA (2020), she is also a board member of the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF), an advisory member for UNICEF Pakistan and a former member of Pakistan’s National Youth Council.Raised by Deaf parents, Azima’s first language is Pakistani Sign Language (PSL). Her personal experiences led her to launch ConnectHear, which has worked with 100+ companies on disability inclusion and recently introduced Pakistan’s first AI-powered sign language recognition tool.She has been recognized with TRT World Citizen Award, Pride of Pakistan by ISPR, awarded the Diana Award, IBA Alumni Excellence Award and featured in Forbes and Pioneers Post. ConnectHear has won numerous accolades, including the TiE Women Global Competition, World Summit Award, and P@SHA ICT Awards.
panel
This panel examines the critical intersection of gender, artificial intelligence, and algorithms, and how AI-driven systems increasingly influence everyday decisions, access to opportunities, and social justice. It will explore whether contemporary AI and algorithmic technologies are being developed with gender sensitivity, or whether they continue to reproduce and reinforce structural biases and exclusions. The panel also highlights the urgent need for more women at the forefront of the AI and technology industry, emphasizing that inclusive design, ethical innovation, and algorithmic justice are not possible without women’s active participation in AI development, policy-making, research, and leadership. By centering women’s voices, experiences, and expertise, the discussion aims to promote fairer, more accountable, and socially responsible AI systems.
