At PWN Netherlands, Tech & Data Intelligence is one of our three core pillars because we believe in embracing new technologies and fostering a culture of adaptability and curiosity. Understanding the legislation, the tools and the advantages of AI, especially for women, is important for us to thrive in the transformative times we live in.
Thriving In the Age of AI (Part One)
The adoption of AI in organisations and in private is progressing with every single day. We deal with AI agents instead of humans when contacting customer support. As patients we first collect medical information through AI before we go to the doctor. At work you might already use AI agents to collect and answer standard questions; giving you time back for more complicated matters.
At the same time, the rollout of AI poses risks to humans being replaced. This has been underlined by recent layoffs worldwide. You might still hesitate using AI and seeing it as the great amplifier in your career.
Nevertheless, AI may not be the great replacement of humans, but a great amplifier.
And amplification matters. Research consistently shows women rate themselves as less familiar with AI than men, even at equal skill.
Yet AI creates a safe space to learn, test ideas, ask questions, and develop expertise without fear of judgment.
Think about the following:
- You can ask AI the questions you were afraid to ask in the meeting.
- You can practice before the presentation.
- You can challenge your own thinking.
- You can explore possibilities.
Quietly. Confidently. At your own pace.
The risk is not that AI will leave women behind. The risk is that hesitation will. And that hesitation is measurable.
A Harvard Business School meta-analysis of 18 studies [source 1] (143,008 people across 25 countries) found women have 22% lower odds of using generative AI than men. The New York Fed [source 2] reports 50% of men use these tools versus 37% of women - and the gap is widest among those over 45. This is a head start we cannot afford to hand over. We must embrace this technology to keep innovating, collaborating and shaping the future of work together. At the same time we need to understand the risk of AI and the upcoming rules and legislation governing its use.
Why This Matters Now
The European Union has taken a global leadership role in ensuring AI is developed, deployed and used responsibly. According to the European Commission, the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) is the world’s first comprehensive legal framework for AI which addresses the risks of AI and fostering a trustworthy usage of it. The Act has already been in force since 1st of August 2024, reaching full applicability in August 2027.
Some key facts worth knowing:
- The EU AI Act is the first comprehensive AI law worldwide. It aims to foster trustworthy AI while protecting citizens’ rights.
- The regulation uses a risk-based approach reflected by a categorisation of AI systems into low and high risk systems. This means that the higher the potential risk on fundamental rights, the requirements for such AI system is stricter.
- AI systems considered an unacceptable threat to people’s rights and safety are prohibited.
- The European Commission’s vision is to ensure AI remains human-centric, safe, transparent, and aligned with fundamental rights.
- Organisations have to maintain comprehensive records of AI systems’ development, testing, deployment and monitoring to be compliant.
- It has to be transparent if an AI system is used in a conversation with a human or if an image is generated by AI; such transparency rules do already apply from August 2026 onwards.
- The Act is designed not only to manage risk, but also to encourage innovation, investment, and broader adoption of trustworthy AI across Europe.
- The EU AI Act further addresses the concern around biased data when AI is developed and deployed. The outcome of AI systems is based on the quality of the data it is trained on. If such data is biased and remains that, the answers remain biased too.
- The EU AI Act also introduces an AI literacy requirement, meaning organisations using AI are expected to ensure employees have the knowledge and skills to use AI responsibly and effectively. AI literacy is therefore becoming not only a career advantage, but an organisational responsibility. [source 3]
Here is the link most people miss: because women use these tools less [source 4], in average, they are under-represented in the data AI learns from - and researchers warn this creates a self-reinforcing loop [source 5], where early bias quietly deepens the very gap it came from.
Whoever doesn’t use the technology also doesn’t help shape it. We need to be using the technology in order to co-shape it, so it’s starts being rooted in the systems we live within.
We do not have to choose between innovation and responsibility.
Europe’s framework is signalling that we can embrace AI while demanding fairness, transparency, accountability and human oversight.
Start Today To Become AI Curious
Ask AI to help write that proposal. Prepare for that difficult conversation. Explore that new career path. Explore the potential customers and market demand for the business idea you’ve noted down.
Not sure where to begin? Try one of these, word for word:
- “Help me prepare for a difficult conversation with my manager - ask me three questions first.”
- “I have a business idea and I need a sparring partner. Play devil’s advocate and name the three biggest risks.”
- “Rewrite this email so it sounds clear and confident, without sounding harsh.”
You do not need to become an AI expert. You only need to become AI curious - and try to embed it in into your daily work.
Because the future belongs not to those who fear intelligent tools, but to those who learn to partner with them wisely and securely.
AI is not the level playing field.
It is the ladder.
The question is: will you climb?
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Authors: Danielle Herman, Charlotte Heilmann, Eline Schoonen
Thumbnail image by Luke Jones on Unsplash
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Sources:
1 - HBS Working Paper 25-023, “Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI” (2025) — 22% lower odds.
2 - New York Fed, Survey of Consumer Expectations (2024) — 50% of men vs 37% of women.
3 - Regulation - EU - 2024/1689 - EN - EUR-Lex – Article 4
4 - Deloitte, “Women and generative AI” (2024/2025) — gap widest in the 45+ group
5 - Otis et al. / HBS D^3, “The Gender Divide in Generative AI” — self-reinforcing bias loop
