Reem Alqulaybi

Saudi Arabian AI pioneer challenging gender norms in tech innovation

Reem Alqulaybi (b. 1995) is a Saudi software engineer whose startup Sakhr AI developed the first Arabic dialect-specific speech recognition system, launched in 2022. Growing up in a society where women's participation in tech fields remained limited, Alqulaybi founded her company after completing a master's in AI at Stanford University. Her system addresses the unique challenges of processing Gulf Arabic dialects, achieving 98% accuracy compared to 75% from existing solutions. This breakthrough enabled voice-based financial services for millions of Arabic speakers who lack literacy skills. Partnering with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Sakhr AI now powers customer service systems for major banks and government services. Alqulaybi's TEDxRiyadh talk "Voice of Change" has over 2 million views, making her a prominent advocate for women in tech. Her work was recognized with the 2023 MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35 award, and profiled in Wired Middle East.