AI is changing the world, so leaders need to learn how to adapt successfully.

Many people in the workplace from intern to the C-suite consider AI the enemy. Their reticence is legitimate and shared by millions across industries and career levels.

Still, many others carefully plan incorporating AI into processes and practices to reap beneficial outcomes, learnings and profits.

“While 99% of CEOs say their companies are investing in AI, the path forward remains unclear. New capabilities emerge almost daily, promising substantial efficiency gains and productivity improvements,” EY reports. “Some have heralded the dawn of a new ‘golden age’ for the global economy.”

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Still, the approach and reaction to AI is also heavily gendered. But where there is opposition, there is opportunity.

“The approach and reaction to AI is also heavily gendered. But where there is opposition, there is opportunity. @takeleadwomen #AI #leadership”

Databricks chief people officer Amy Reichanadter told Time magazine, “AI has the potential to really put women at the center because all of the things that we’ve inherently been good at—high EQ, great verbal skills, high intuition—I think will become more and more important.”

No industry is spared with immunity from AI infiltration and effects.

More than “64 percent of American adults plan to avoid using AI for as long as possible, according to a recent Gallup report.” According to BuiltIn. “One study found 31 percent of employees (and 41 percent of Gen Z workers specifically) are actively working against their company’s AI initiatives. And 45 percent of CEOs say most of their employees are resistant or openly hostile to AI, according to another study,” according to BuiltIn.

Healthcare, retail, customer service, realty, manufacturing, academia, and so many more are affected. In journalism and media, Neiman Lab Reports shows a new study saying only 38% of news executives feel confident about the outlook for journalism (down from 60% a year ago ) with fear of AI disruption at the top of the list.

This is why Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead,says a key tool for today—and always--in the 9 Leadership Power Tools she created is, “Carpe The Chaos. Yet fewer women use AI at work than men, meaning they are putting themselves at a disadvantage.

“Why do we get so thrown off by changing technologies that we lose sight that chaos is opportunity to shake people out of entrenched ways of thinking and enable us all to try different, possibly better, solutions?” Feldt asks.

She adds, “Every disruption is an opportunity for someone, and today women are best prepared. Yet currently AI is as gender and racially biased as the larger culture in which it is trained. To counteract that and help women take this opportunity, we are seeking funding to offer our signature 50 Women Can Change the World program to a cohort of emerging women leaders in AI. Because without greater gender parity in leadership of AI companies and unless more women have and are using AI tools, the biases and workplace inflexibility will become more entrenched.”

“Every disruption is an opportunity for someone, and today women are best prepared,” says Gloria Feldt, co-founder, pres @takeleadwomen #leadership #genderequity #AI #talent ”

That is or should be a critically important concern for employers who need to recruit and retain female talent.

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McKinsey reports, “up to 30% of hours worked across the U.S. economy could be automated by 2030, with 12 million occupational transitions required by the same year.

So how do you successfully get on board and shift from damnation to adoption where AI will improve the work lives of all involved? And how does AI become more inclusive adding more women to the top of the field?

According to AI Magazine, “Women occupy a fraction of AI research positions and developer roles, their presence diminishing further up the corporate ladder where key decisions about technology direction are made.”

AI Magazine reports, “This imbalance ripples through the technology itself. When leadership lacks diversity, the resulting technology risks perpetuating existing biases rather than breaking them down.”

The good news is there are female tech entrepreneurs, founders and top level executives who are demonstrating deep influence and generating profits.

Ensono’s 2025 Speak Up Report shows that “89% of women in tech agree that their GenAI skills have helped accelerate their careers, whether by enhancing performance in their current roles or unlocking new opportunities. The proportion of women who ranked their GenAI skills as "expert" doubled year over year to 24% of the 1,500 respondents,” Information Week reports.

Information Week shows, “Women in tech are rapidly building expertise, driving adoption, and influencing how AI is integrated across the enterprise. Their contributions are accelerating innovation, improving team performance, and reshaping what leadership looks like in a digital-first workplace.”

Stacey Engle, founder of Authority Lab, and Take The Lead board member is one of them. “AI is accelerating fast, but real power doesn’t come from the technology alone. It comes from ownership. Your data, your intelligence, your digital identity. This year has to be about shifting from simply using AI to having sovereignty within it,” Engle says..

“AI is accelerating fast, but real power doesn’t come from the technology alone. It comes from ownership. Your data, your intelligence, your digital identity,” says @StaceyEngle, Authority Lab founder, @TakeLeadwomen board member. #leadership”

Watch more from Stacey Engle here

Many women leaders are at the top of the AI world. AI Magazine reports, “Dena Al Mansoori serves as the Group Chief AI and Data Officer at e&, where she leads the organization’s AI and data strategy across 38 countries. Jaime Teevan is the Chief Scientist at Microsoft, where she leads AI research initiatives focused on productivity, automation and human-AI collaboration. Joelle Pineau is the VP of AI Research at Meta, leading its efforts in AI innovation, open-source AI models and ethical AI development. Lila Ibrahim is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Google DeepMind, one of the world's leading AI research labs.”

There are many more women AI-related founders and entrepreneurs and small business owners affecting this huge workplace shift.

Multiple strategies have proven successful to incorporating AI not as replacement, but as improvement at all levels. If you are a leader in an organization, here are five strategic tools to make that happen.

1. Research and be transparent. Don’t just announce what will happen. Enlist teams and buy-in from committees to prepare for adaptation. Allow for a period of adjustment and keep and report the data on adoption successes and failures.

Built In reports, “95 percent of AI pilot programs fail to produce measurable cost savings or profit increases. The successful 5 percent can be attributed to a strong leadership that understands what employees need in order to experiment, adapt and eventually trust the technology.”

“95 % of AI pilot programs fail to produce measurable cost savings or profit increases. The successful 5% can be attributed to a strong leadership,” reports @BuiltIn. #AI #Leadership ”

.2. Build inclusive teams. Do not be tied to one pathway from one small group of executives. Listen to inclusive voices from all levels to add in what they need and how to onboard new systems. Open the door for everyone to be involved. “As AI becomes central to business strategy, those who understand and apply it are increasingly seen as innovators and leaders. For women, this shift presents a chance to move beyond traditional support roles and into positions of influence -- driving innovation, leading cross-functional initiatives, and shaping business outcomes,” Information Week reports.

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3. Let implementation move slowly. Call it innovation, not a mandatory demand. Listen to the needs of every worker at every level. And know that AI can be great at as an assistant. Net Guru reports, “The first step includes customer-facing tools, with chatbots being the most common example, helping businesses handle routine client requests. The second category comprises tools that manage back-end tasks, such as coding, data analysis, and automating workflows.”

4. Talk about efficiency, not elimination. Yes, AI can do the work done now by 12% of America's workforce, IBM reports. according to a recent study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The study also reports that AI has the capacity to interact with 150 million jobs in 1,000 work roles. If AI can do mundane tasks and repetitive data collection, research and follow up, then colleagues are free to be creative and put ideas into action. Be a culture of curiosity, not complacency. Honor new ideas over tradition.

“If AI can do mundane tasks and repetitive data collection, research and follow up, then colleagues are free to be creative and put ideas into action. Be a culture of curiosity, not complacency. @takeleadwomen #innovation #leadership #AI”

5. Adopt, learn and adjust. All systems need to have human oversight and project tests need to be studied, adjusted and redesigned if there are flaws. Net Guru reports, “It might be tempting to roll out AI solutions organization-wide as soon as they start generating relevant output. Remember, successful AI integration requires a clear AI strategy, a focus on AI readiness, and a commitment to ongoing AI transformation. “

According to the World Economic Forum, the greatest impact from AI on the global workforce is: 50% on automating processes; 27% on upskilling workflows; 17% redesigning roles, 7% overcoming AI resistance.

“Reports from @WEF: Greatest impact from #AI on the #global #workforce is: 50% on automating processes; 27% on upskilling workflows; 17% redesigning roles, 7% overcoming AI #resistance.”

Everyone seems to agree a ubiquitous AI presence is guaranteed. Biz Tech magazine reports, “Ensure your teams understand that AI’s role is to facilitate their work, not replace it. Explain that AI can reduce repetitive tasks and free up time for higher-value projects. That may lower resistance and quell any fears that arise with the introduction of a new technology product.”

All In: 5 Strategies For Leaders To Overcome Objections and Embrace AI At Work

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