As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms industries, workflows, and decision-making, it is also reshaping who gets to design and influence the digital future. Technology is not only about code or systems – it is about curiosity, problem-solving, and the ability to turn ideas into something with a meaningful impact. On the occasion of Girls in ITC Day, themed AI for Development: Girls shaping the digital future, we speak with Viera Krešňáková, Senior AI/ML Developer at Evolveum.
How did you first become interested in IGA and AI, and what inspired you to pursue it?
My journey into IT wasn’t entirely straightforward. Even as a child, I had the feeling that the only thing I was truly good at was mathematics. Later in high school, natural sciences were added to it. What I liked about them was that I didn’t have to memorize them – I just needed to understand them. And this way of thinking felt very natural to me.
After high school, I had many questions and couldn’t really imagine what my career in mathematics would look like. At that time, someone told me that computer science is essentially mathematics rewritten into code. That idea intrigued me, so I decided to try it. During my studies in computer science, I discovered that a computer scientist does not have to be only a highly technical, hardware-oriented person. It can also be someone like me – a girl whose strength lies in logical thinking, the ability to translate it into code, work with large amounts of data, and turn knowledge into algorithms and functional solutions.
And why IGA and AI? Data has always been both a challenge and a motivation for me. I am fascinated by how it can be processed, understood, and used to create intelligent solutions. That is why I eventually ended up in this field and at Evolveum – where analytical thinking, technology, and real-world impact come together.
Was there a moment when you realized you could shape the digital future through technology? Tell us about it.
Yes, that moment came during my first projects, where my code was actually deployed in practice. That was when I realized that technology is not just about writing code, but about creating solutions that have real impact – whether in predicting solar events, early detection of heart attacks from ECGs, or nowadays in simplifying complex processes in identity governance and access management.
My current work at Evolveum on midPoint in the IGA domain confirms to me every day that technology can shape the digital future in a very specific way. I am especially glad that this happens through open source, a model that brings value to the wider community.
What challenges do girls and young women still face in entering the tech and AI fields, and how can we overcome them?
Although IT is still often perceived as a male-dominated field, my personal experience has been very positive, and I have never encountered being underestimated because I am a woman. If I see any challenge today, it is rather the fact that young women sometimes underestimate themselves and their abilities. That is why I consider it important to create more support, role models, and opportunities so they can see for themselves that they also have a place in technology.
How do you see AI influencing opportunities for women in IT globally?
I believe AI will significantly expand opportunities for women in IT globally. It is not only about the emergence of new technical roles, but also about how AI connects technology with analytical thinking and the understanding of data, processes, and human needs. This can attract even more diverse talent into IT.
At the same time, it will be important for women not to be only users of AI tools, but also co-creators, because only then will they be able to directly influence what the digital future will look like.
What advice would you give to the next generation of girls who want to make an impact in AI and digital development?
I would like to tell girls not to be afraid to start and not to be discouraged by the feeling that they don’t know enough yet. I often come across the opinion: “It’s easy for you, you’ve been doing it for a long time.” The truth is that I also often start my day not knowing something. And that is exactly what makes this work so beautiful – exploring, being curious, designing solutions, making mistakes, learning from them, and sometimes starting over. It is not about having everything mastered right away, but about the willingness to learn and to move forward every day.
Viera Krešňáková
Senior AI/ML Developer at Evolveum
Bringing AI into identity governance and administration, Viera integrates intelligent models into midPoint to detect anomalies, predict access needs, and enable explainable, automated IGA decisions. She also designs explainable AI features to ensure that security teams can understand and trust the system’s decisions.