The Real Risk with AI? Not Using It.

We are at the beginning of a true revolution—one that is profoundly changing the way we live and work. It’s only been a few years since AI usage went mainstream, and in that short time, it’s already started to reshape the economy. Very quickly, AI will touch nearly every industry and job, in a transformation akin to the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the internet—but faster.

In this critical moment, Lean In is determined to help ensure that women are not left behind.

New research from Lean In, released today, shows that the AI gender gap is profound—and is made worse by long-standing gender bias:

• Men in the U.S. are 22% more likely than women to use AI daily or constantly at their jobs.
• Men are 13% more likely to feel positive and 30% more likely to feel energized about AI.
• Women are 38% more likely to have ethical reservations about AI—a sign of thoughtfulness that may nonetheless slow adoption.
• Women feel more cautious about AI generally—they’re 32% more likely to worry they’ll be perceived as cheating if they use AI at work.

Women’s caution is understandable. Their experiences with AI at work have simply been less positive than men’s. Men are 23% more likely to be encouraged by their managers to use AI, and 27% more likely to be praised when they do. A 2025 study found that when both women and men used AI to help them write code, women were twice as likely to have their competence questioned in comparison to men.

So, here we are again: men are encouraged, rewarded, and praised, while women are criticized and held back.

At Lean In, we are committed to helping women build confidence and skill with AI, so they can use it to their advantage.

AI fluency is quickly becoming a core workplace skill, like writing clearly or presenting effectively. It makes you faster and expands your capabilities. It’s often framed as a technical skill, but it’s not—it’s about experimentation and the ability to learn.

If you’re wondering where to begin, here are some easy ways to integrate AI into your work, starting now.

Start simple. Open any chatbot—like Claude, Gemini, or ChatGPT—and ask for help with a task you’re already doing, like writing an email, drafting a timeline, or building a strategy. Use its response as a first draft, then refine.

Ask AI how to use AI. If you’re not sure where it fits in your workflow, just ask: “How can I use AI to solve this problem?”

Be specific. The more context you give the chatbot on what you need—your project goals, desired format, who you’re speaking to—the better the output. Using voice mode—speaking instead of typing—and sharing materials like drafts, documents, and links will help you provide context so AI can give more informed, tailored responses.

Don’t just chat with AI—put it to work. You can do this by creating agents. These are AI systems that can plan and carry out multi-step workflows—using tools and taking actions (like reading email, prioritizing messages, and drafting replies)—instead of just answering a single prompt.

Share your wins. Not long ago, people used AI quietly. That moment has passed. Leveraging AI is something you should be proud of. So don’t hide it: share what you’re learning and help other women get started.

We want women to be full participants in this new way of working. We need to embrace it if we want to protect our livelihoods, advance our careers, and take part in determining how these tools are shaped for ourselves and future generations. We must, if we want to sustain our climb toward equality.

In the months and years ahead, Lean In will continue to conduct research, offer guidance and resources on AI, and upskill our community—so that women get as much benefit and as little harm from this new workplace revolution as men.