Post by Women Shaping AI

Forrester’s latest Women’s Leadership roundtables surfaced a message we hear often at Women Shaping AI: AI adoption will not become equitable by accident. At Forrester’s B2B Summit, more than 200 women leaders gathered to discuss what it means to lead with clarity and confidence as AI reshapes work. One framing stood out to us: “AI may become one of the most significant leadership opportunities for women in decades. Its impact will depend on how capability, governance, and leadership are built around it.” Source: The leadership aspect is critical because it's leadership choices that will help close gender gaps. Participants identified several barriers and opportunities that should be on every leader’s radar: ⚡ Women are still less likely to receive manager support for using AI ⚡ The “AI as cheating” narrative continues to hold some women back ⚡ Hands-on, in-workflow learning builds confidence faster than standalone training ⚡ AI can create visibility risks when effort becomes compressed or invisible ⚡ Inclusive AI requires guardrails, clarity, ownership, and governance ⚡ The most differentiating AI-era leadership skills are human skills like judgment, critical thinking, empathy, confidence, and change leadership This is the leadership work of the AI era. It is about creating environments where women are encouraged to experiment, recognized for AI-enabled work, supported by managers, and included in the decisions about how AI changes teams, workflows, products, and power. The women in these roundtables described AI as a leadership moment. At Women Shaping AI, we believe this moment requires both capability and community. Women need practical learning, candid conversations, peer support, and the confidence to lead AI conversations in their organizations, not simply react to them. Women Shaping AI is a global community where women from all walks of life come together to learn about AI, build confidence and capability, and open doors for each other. If that resonates, we’d love to have you join us. Learn more at www.womenshapingai.com. #womenshapingai #womeninai #forrester #futureofwork #responsibleai