Why women’s AI fluency could become an increasingly important factor in leadership, visibility and career opportunity

I was recently catching up with a former colleague who told me she was avoiding “getting on the AI bandwagon.” Her comment puzzled me. “What do you mean, bandwagon?” I asked, noting that AI had moved far beyond a trend. 

The woman, an accomplished professional in her 50s, explained that she had significant concerns about AI, so she resisted using the tools even when her leaders were rolling them out. Like many people, she worried about the quality and accuracy of the output. But she also worried about something more personal. If she used AI, would people think she wasn’t doing her own work?

I told her that quality, accuracy and originality absolutely still matter, maybe more than ever before. But so does learning to use tools that are rapidly becoming part of how work gets done. Increasingly, AI fluency may be less a nice-to-have than a factor in how performance and potential are assessed. Her hesitation made me wonder whether AI could become the next leadership gap for women.

New research suggests this may indeed be the case. In a 2026 working paper, “Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI Over Time,” reported on in Harvard Business Review, researchers Katelyn Cranney, Solène Delecourt and Rembrand Koning analyzed evidence from more than 100 countries and 318,000 respondents. They found that men use generative AI at higher rates than women, with an estimated adoption rate of 47.8% for men compared with 39.3% for women. While the gap has narrowed, it has remained persistent, particularly around newer and more advanced AI tools.

The reasons matter. As was the case for my former colleague, research suggests women may be more concerned about the ethics of using AI or about being judged for relying on it. Koning notes, “Women face greater penalties in being judged as not having expertise in different fields.” That can create a powerful disincentive. Why experiment with a new tool if you believe using it could make others question your competence?

New research from Pew Research Center points to a related concern. Its 2026 survey found that men and women are now equally likely to say they have used an AI chatbot, a significant shift from 2024. But men are more likely to use the tools regularly, including for work, and are more likely to say AI helps their productivity. Twenty-seven percent of men reported using chatbots daily compared with 20% of women. Women are also less likely to say they have heard “a lot” about AI or to feel highly confident using chatbots.

Women’s adoption of AI extends beyond being just a technology issue. At a deeper level it has implications for our future leadership pipeline. While not keeping up with technology is problematic and limiting for anyone, the larger risk is that women who are more cautious about experimenting with it may accumulate less experience, less confidence and less visibility around a capability that will increasingly shape how organizations operate. That matters because the skills people develop today often become the experiences that position them for tomorrow’s opportunities.

Leaders therefore have a role beyond providing access. Organizations need to create permission to experiment, make AI learning universal and make clear that using a new tool is not a shortcut around expertise. It is another capability to develop. As Koning argues, the organizations with the smallest gender gaps in adoption tend to be those where leaders explicitly encourage everyone to try the tools and acknowledge that some experiments will work and others will not.

The goal should not be to persuade women or anyone to jump on an AI “bandwagon.” It should be to make sure caution does not become a career disadvantage. Because, as in the past, the next leadership gap may not be about who has the most talent. It may be about who had the opportunity, encouragement and confidence to learn what comes next.

I reached out to leaders for their insights on how women can leverage AI adoption as an asset in their careers.

Nicki Brice, vice president, controller, Community State Bank

As I reflect on AI and women’s perceptions around this new technology, I couldn’t help but wonder if AI could write my response for me? But alas, the words that follow are my own.

Until recently, I tended to avoid AI. Fortunately, the leadership team around me has created a culture where open and honest conversations around AI are welcomed. These conversations have helped me learn specific examples of how my colleagues use AI, both professionally and personally, and have led me on my own AI journey of discovery. My advice to other women is: Don’t let caution become avoidance. Your caution can be a strength when combined with curiosity. Ask questions. Experiment with the tools available. Leadership teams have a responsibility to create safe environments where people feel encouraged to explore AI. As women feel empowered to use AI, they’ll gain the confidence needed to keep their careers moving forward.

Kathy Kay, executive vice president and chief information officer, Principal Financial Group

I see AI as an incredible opportunity for women, not a threat. The coolest part is that you don’t have to be an expert to get started. Most of us in technology are still learning. The important thing is to be curious, experiment and understand how these tools can help you be more effective and have greater impact. I’ve seen firsthand that as people gain experience with AI, their confidence grows and they start finding new ways to solve problems and create value. Organizations have a responsibility to provide access, training and the right guardrails, but individuals also have a responsibility to lean in. The leaders who will thrive in the future won’t be the ones who avoided AI. They’ll be the ones who learned how to use it responsibly to make better decisions, lead teams and serve customers more effectively.

Ardis Kelley, founder and principal, Cornflower Studio

In high school, my dad suggested I use his computer to write a term paper. I was almost insulted. “Why would I do that? I have a perfectly good typewriter and plenty of Wite-Out, thank you very much.” Technology can be hard to embrace because easy doesn’t always feel noble. 

Fortunately, I didn’t make that mistake with AI. I’m an accountant, not an editor. The first time AI turned my ideas into a clear email without 20 minutes of fixing grammar, I was sold.

Lesson learned: Harder isn’t better. “No pain, no gain” works at the gym, but it’s a lousy technology strategy. Today, I use AI for research, brainstorming and challenging my thinking. But you still have to know your stuff. Full stop.

That matters particularly for women. We’ve worked incredibly hard to establish our expertise and credibility, and I understand the instinct to protect that. But using AI doesn’t diminish what we know or what we’ve earned. We were brilliant before AI. We can shine even brighter with it. We’ve worked too hard to get here to fear a technology that can help us discover how far we can go.

Katrina Lindsey, chief legal officer, Casey’s General Stores

I think the real risk isn’t caution – it’s keeping AI experimentation invisible. Whether women avoid AI or take time to quietly evaluate it, both can appear the same from the outside and may be perceived as being “behind.”  When we openly share the risks and benefits of AI, what we’ve tried, what worked and what didn’t, thoughtful evaluation becomes visible learning rather than hesitation. Organizations and leaders have an equally important role to play by building AI fluency into everyday conversations rather than assuming people already have it, and by demonstrating how AI can take on tasks that diminish work satisfaction. This is a shared responsibility. As people practice and learn from one another, confidence and AI fluency will grow.

Claudia Schabel, president and CEO, Iowa Women’s Foundation

The real choice is not caution versus curiosity but watching from the sidelines versus helping shape the future. Women should engage with AI thoughtfully and be willing to experiment. The greater risk may be opting out as work and daily life continue to evolve without our input. Women don’t need to become technology experts to use AI. Women will need the confidence to lead and use AI to strengthen our judgment, creativity, and impact.

Organizations also share this responsibility. Leaders must create cultures that encourage experimentation, invite questions and make learning from mistakes safe. Access to AI tools, training, mentorship and hands-on opportunities to learn should be equitable, not reserved for those who already feel confident. As AI shapes our future, women must have a seat at the table, not only using the technology but also helping determine how it is used.

Emily Webb, senior commercial counsel, Google

Women shouldn’t have to choose between being thoughtful about AI and being willing to use it. In my career as a lawyer and leader, I’ve learned that evaluating risk is part of good leadership but recognizing when excessive caution becomes its own risk is equally important. AI is quickly becoming a fundamental workplace skill, and women need to give themselves permission to experiment, learn and even get it wrong sometimes. We shouldn’t feel we need to become AI experts before we use it.

Organizations have an equally important responsibility. Leaders should create clear guardrails around responsible AI use, provide training and access, and, most importantly, build cultures where experimentation is encouraged rather than judged. If men are more comfortable learning AI by using it while women wait until they feel fully qualified, we risk allowing a confidence gap to become the next leadership gap.

AI helped me refine this answer, in full disclosure.