I have mixed feelings about the current conversation around women and AI.

Depending on which article you read, women are either "falling behind", "missing the opportunity", or "failing to adopt AI quickly enough". It feels familiar. For years, women have been told they are not doing enough: not ambitious enough, not visible enough, not confident enough, and not technical enough. Now AI has become the latest arena in which women are being told they need to catch up.

I'm not convinced that's the right conversation.

What if women are not resisting AI?

What if they are simply asking different questions?

Questions such as:

• Who benefits from this?
• Who might be harmed?
• Whose voices were included when this system was designed?
• What happens to the people affected by these decisions?
• What are the environmental and social costs?

These are not signs of resistance. They are signs of responsibility.

Much of the current AI conversation is driven by a culture that values speed. We are encouraged to move faster, adopt faster and scale faster. Progress is often measured by how quickly new technologies can be implemented rather than by the quality of the questions we ask about them.

Yet many women, particularly those working in education, leadership and community-focused professions, are accustomed to looking beyond immediate outcomes. They think about people as well as processes. They consider unintended consequences. They notice who is included, who is excluded and whose needs are being overlooked. These perspectives are not barriers to innovation; they are essential to ensuring innovation serves people well.

AI will shape education, workplaces and society whether we participate or not. The real question is not whether women should adopt AI. The question is who we want shaping it.

Education has always been where the future starts. The systems, assumptions, values and tools we introduce today become the normal practices of tomorrow. If AI is going to influence how people learn, work, communicate, develop and make decisions, then we need diverse voices helping to shape that future.

Women have an important role to play in ensuring that AI is not simply efficient, but equitable. Not simply innovative, but responsible. Not simply powerful, but purposeful.

At WomenEd, we have long championed the idea that representation matters. When more women participate in leadership conversations, organisations benefit from broader perspectives, better decision-making and more inclusive outcomes. The same principle applies to AI.

At CVP Group, we have seen what happens when women are given access to high-quality professional development opportunities. Our partnership with WomenEd created one of the first coaching communities of its kind, supporting women to develop coaching skills, build networks and create positive change across education and beyond.

Now we want to bring that same spirit into the world of AI.

Launching in November 2026, our AI in Education – AI Practitioner Apprenticeship is designed for professionals working across education, learning and development, coaching, training and edtech.

This is not a programme for people who want to replace humans with technology. It is for people who want to ask better questions, explore how AI can reduce workload without reducing humanity, and create practical, ethical and sustainable solutions for the communities they serve.

Most importantly, it is for people who believe that technology should work for people, not the other way around.

We are building a diverse pilot cohort and are committed to ensuring women are represented among the voices shaping the future of AI in education. Not because women need to catch up, but because the future will be stronger when more perspectives are involved in creating it.

If that sounds like the kind of conversation you want to be part of, we would love to hear from you.

Expressions of Interest are now open for our November 2026 pilot cohort.

Click here to find out more about the November 2026 AI Automation Practitioner Apprenticeship and register your interest.

Additionally, we have two free webinars coming up this summer. Book here.

Yasmin Ariff