We’ve Worked Too Hard to Be Left Behind in the AI Revolution
- Bryden Campbell
- Nov 13, 2025
- 4 min read
As AI continues to reshape industries, workplaces and entire economies, one issue is quietly emerging with major implications: women are adopting AI tools at significantly lower rates than men.
According to the Oliver Wyman Forum, 59% of male workers globally report using generative AI tools at least once a week, compared to just 51% of women. Among younger workers, the gap is even more pronounced. This disparity isn’t just a reflection of access or capability, it speaks to deeper issues of trust, design bias and workplace culture.
If left unaddressed, the divide risks reinforcing gender imbalances in the workforce, not only in roles that are likely to be automated, but also in emerging roles that are being created by the AI boom itself. In other words: those who fall behind on adoption now may find themselves excluded from the future of work altogether.
Trust, Bias and the Pace of Change
Research from Deloitte suggests that trust plays a critical role in adoption. Only 18% of women say they trust AI companies to safeguard their data, compared to 31% of men. Concerns about data privacy, model bias and algorithmic transparency remain front of mind, particularly in male-dominated industries like tech and finance, where AI tools are often developed without diverse oversight.
Yet delaying adoption comes at a cost. As AI becomes embedded in workflows, from marketing and operations to product design and client service, the ability to experiment and understand these tools is quickly becoming essential. It’s not just about keeping up with technology. It’s about staying visible, competitive and influential in the workforce of tomorrow.
Experimentation Without Intimidation
At Brand Rebellion, I’ve seen first-hand that hesitation often isn’t about capability but about perception. Many women worry that using AI tools feels like ‘cheating’ or that embracing them might devalue their creative contributions.
As an example, Kali, our Senior Marketing and Communications Manager, initially feared AI might replace aspects of her role. “Like many, the biggest deterrent for me in using AI was the narrative that it would take our jobs,” she explains.
“However, since getting familiar with certain AI tools and applications, I've realised they are just that. Tools. It isn't a replacement for creativity, yet something that can be utilised to move through creative roadblocks and give deeper understanding and context to the industries we aim to serve or the problems we are trying to solve”
Similarly, Britt, our Senior Designer and Creative Strategist, uses AI to help shift tone and adapt messaging across diverse client industries. What she discovered was that AI didn’t take away from her role; it actually sharpened her ability to stay on-brand and deliver stronger results for clients.
“At first I was hesitant in using AI tools in my day-to-day work because I worried it was cheating or that I wasn’t doing the work myself.” She says.
But now, it’s part of her creative toolkit. “We work with such a variety of clients, and tone can change dramatically between projects. A common task I use AI for is helping me shift tone while staying on-brand.”
These stories highlight a critical truth: women aren’t rejecting AI because they can’t use it. They’re cautious because the risks feel underexplored, the policies aren’t always clear, and the cultural narrative often frames AI as a threat rather than an enabler.
The Role of Employers
While individual upskilling is important, much of the responsibility lies with employers. A growing number of companies are recognising that without intentional strategies to ensure equal access to AI learning, they risk replicating old inequities in new technologies.
At Brand Rebellion, we designed our internal AI program to level the playing field across the team. Rather than asking people to keep up individually, the program rewards collective experimentation. We track team-wide hours spent exploring AI tools, with incentives at each milestone, from coffee runs and team lunches to gift cards. The aim is to shift the narrative from competitive adoption to inclusive progress.
AI is also a regular topic during the company’s fortnightly ‘BR does BR’ sessions (short for Brand Rebellion does Beers and Reflection), where staff are encouraged to discuss what they’re learning, what they’re trying, and how AI might improve or complicate their work.
The result has been a more open, less intimidating culture around AI where psychological safety is prioritised and team members feel confident to test, fail, and learn together. Importantly, this approach has shown that structured support from employers can help address hesitations and close the adoption gap.
This approach has helped build a more open culture around AI. Hesitations still exist, but they’re easier to talk about. As Kali puts it, “It’s made me more open to exploring other tools. Before, I used only one well-known platform. Through the AI program and the support of the BR team, I’ve gained a better view of the broader capabilities AI can offer. It's also highlighted the importance of how we use AI, and the regulations and policies we need to set as an organisation to integrate it responsibly while staying diligent and compliant now and into the future.”
Britt agrees: “With the AI Program, having a shared space to swap ideas, solid prompts and little tricks is an awesome way to bounce off each other and get excited about the possibilities.”
If businesses fail to support more inclusive AI adoption, the risk extends far beyond the individual. It threatens to limit diversity in the very decisions that will shape how AI is used and by whom. And for women, particularly those in the early stages of their careers or running their own ventures, falling behind now could mean reduced opportunity for leadership in the future.
Closing the gender gap in AI adoption isn’t just about technology. It’s about equity, design and the future of work. And the time to act, from boardrooms to startups is now.
Sources
Bryden Campbell is the founder and managing director of Brand Rebellion, an award-winning brand and workforce consultancy. Brand Rebellion was recently recognised as a state finalist in the Accelerating Women category for the 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards.
