Liane Thompson
CEO Aquaai Corporation, USA/Norway/UAE
Liane Thompson is founder and CEO of Aquaai, a frontier tech company providing data insights from waterways using ML and robotic fish platforms. Aquaai detection services target subsurface infrastructure, water quality and disaster management for entities such as insurance, hospitality, real estate, ports, aquaculture, as well as governments and conservation projects. Aquaai is Silicon Valley founded company headquartered in the US with subsidiaries in Norway and the UAE.
Prior to founding Aquaai, Liane was a global journalist and New York Times executive producer delivering hundreds of hours of current affairs and reality television to major broadcasters. Liane has received 3-time PrimeTime Emmy nominations and co-created the premier television series of acclaimed late chef Anthony Bourdain.
Liane has been named in 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology 2023, World's Top 50 Innovators 2022, 20 Women Driving the Future of ClimateTech 2021, 30 Women in Robotics to Know 2020, and Innovative Women in AI / Blockchain to Follow (2019).
Liane's been a speaker, keynote and/or moderator at numerous events, including TEDx, COP28, NYCW, RoboUniverse and OurOcean. She is most passionate about helping young women at risk and providing her children a healthier planet.
1. What global strategies are proving most effective in reducing freshwater consumption while meeting the needs of rapidly growing populations?
The most effective global strategies to reduce freshwater consumption while still supporting rapidly growing populations share a common trait: they treat water as a strategic resource, not an infinite utility.
First, demand reduction through efficiency has delivered the fastest gains. Large-scale adoption of water-efficient irrigation (drip, precision agriculture, AI-guided scheduling) has cut agricultural water use by 20–50% in many regions, while improving yields. On the urban side, leakage reduction, smart metering, and tiered pricing have proven far more impactful than awareness campaigns alone. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.
Second, water reuse is becoming mainstream. Cities in Israel, Singapore, and parts of the Gulf now treat wastewater as a reliable supply source, recycling it for agriculture, industry, and even potable use. This effectively creates “new” water without extracting more from stressed ecosystems.
Third, diversification of supply is key. Nature-based solutions such as wetland restoration, aquifer recharge, and watershed protection are proving cost-effective ways to stabilize long-term water availability.
Finally, data and governance matter. Countries making progress are integrating real-time data, transparent allocation frameworks, and cross-sector collaboration. Water security is no longer just an infrastructure problem; it’s an intelligence problem.
The common thread is clear: efficiency, reuse, diversified supply, and data-driven management together allow populations to grow without consuming water at the same pace.
2. How can governments and industries collaborate to strengthen global water governance and encourage more efficient water use?
Strong global water governance doesn’t come from regulation alone, it comes from alignment. The most effective collaboration between governments and industry happens when incentives, data, and accountability move in the same direction.
Governments play a critical role in setting clear frameworks: transparent water information and rights, enforceable quality standards, and pricing mechanisms that reflect true scarcity. When water is consistently undervalued, inefficiency is inevitable. Smart regulation creates predictability, which is exactly what industry needs to invest in long-term water efficiency, reuse, and innovation.
Industry, in turn, brings speed, capital, and technical capability. Private-sector leadership in smart infrastructure, advanced treatment, and real-time monitoring has consistently outpaced public deployment alone. Public–private partnerships allow governments to de-risk innovation while scaling solutions faster than public budgets permit.
Data sharing is where collaboration becomes transformative. When industries are required and enabled to measure, report, and optimize water use, water governance shifts from estimates to intelligence. Standardized reporting, digital twins, and basin-level dashboards help align corporate behavior with national and regional water priorities. Governments in turn, must also wish to "know what's in their water" to prevent worsening continues that lead to disasters. Transparency on the government side is equally crucial.
Finally, collaboration works best when water is treated as a shared asset, not a zero-sum resource. Working together across river basins, borders, and sectors, while rewarding results, not usage, drives efficiency instead of over-extraction.
3. What technologies offer the highest potential to optimize agricultural water use in arid Middle Eastern climates?
The first priority is loss reduction. Non-revenue water remains one of the region’s biggest blind spots. Deploying smart meters, pressure sensors, and AI-driven leak detection allows utilities to move from reactive repairs to predictive maintenance. Fixing what already exists is often the fastest and cheapest “new” water supply.
Second, cities need real-time visibility. Digital platforms that integrate consumption data, network performance, groundwater levels, and desalination output give decision-makers a single source of truth. When water systems are managed with live data rather than monthly reports, efficiency improves by default.
Third, demand management must be built into urban design. Tiered tariffs, consumption alerts, and incentives for efficient buildings shift behavior without heavy-handed restrictions. Smart systems make conservation measurable and fair, rather than punitive.
Finally, adoption works best through partnerships. Governments should set standards and provide access to infrastructure; technology providers deliver sensors, analytics, and automation; and utilities focus on operations. Pilot projects in high-loss districts can prove value quickly and unlock scale.
In the Middle East, water security is a strategic issue. Smart water management turns infrastructure into intelligence and intelligence into resilience.