Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know I have Her Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone. Her Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum.

Erica: We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, navigating hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it. This isn't about hustling harder. It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career in life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside her collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com.

Erica: Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone. Welcome to the Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floor podcast. The podcast where we get real about the challenges women face in work, life, and leadership. I'm your host, Erica Rooney, HR executive, keynote speaker, and executive coach, and I'm on a mission to get more women into positions of power and keep them there. This is the space where we call out the paradoxes.

Erica: Being told to lean in but not too far, to speak up but not too loudly, be ambitious but not too ambitious. Does that sound familiar? Y'all, we are over all that. Here, we break down the sticky floors that keep us stuck, from imposter syndrome and perfectionism to burnout and fear.

Erica: And we give you the real strategies to shatter those glass ceilings once and for all. So if you're ready to rewrite the rules, own your power, and take your career and life to the next level, you're in the right place. Hey, friends. I am so thrilled that you are here back with me on the Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floor podcast. Today's episode is a solo episode.

Erica: I know it's been a minute since we've done one of those, but I am so excited to have you here today because we are diving into a topic that has just completely shifted the way I see the future and how we, as women, need to be showing up in it. And, y'all, we're gonna talk about AI. Yes. Artificial intelligence. But before you tune out thinking, I'm not techie or maybe this isn't for me or I just don't know about AI yet, I want you to hang in there with me because here's the truth.

Erica: Y'all, I'm not a technical person. I married a man who was technical so that he could help me figure out how to turn all the damn TVs. Right? I do not have a background in coding, data science, or engineering, and yet over the past few months, something has just clicked for me. I had this shift, and I realized that we can't afford to sit on the sidelines of this AI revolution, and I don't even wanna say it's coming because it is here.

Erica: We are living in it right now. It's not just about tech. Y'all, this is about humanity. This is about connection and creativity, and that means that it's about us. It's about women.

Erica: And I wanna talk about this today because you may have seen me posting a lot about it on social media. I also do have another podcast that y'all can go check out where I'm a cohost with Greg Boone. The podcast is called AI Voice or Victim. I encourage you to go there and check it out if AI is something that is of interest to you. But I wanna talk about why AI matters even if you're not a technical person.

Erica: I wanna talk about this powerful article that came out of Harvard Business Review that is all about the gender gap in AI adoption. I wanna talk about what we're risking if we don't step into this space. And most importantly, I wanna talk about how our other human strengths, especially as women, give us a unique edge in this AI powered world. So I'm also gonna give you three tangible ways to start using AI today no matter your experience level. So let's dive in.

Erica: Why does AI matter even if you're not a technical person, even if you're not in tech as an industry? If you've ever said, like, I'm not technical or AI isn't for me, I want you to challenge that.

Erica: It's not just for Silicon Valley tech bros. This is not just for people who are out there building robots or writing algorithms. This is for you. This is for us, for women, because AI is showing up in our businesses, in our careers, in our homes, whether we like it or not. So the way I see it is it is the next great shift in how we work, how we create, communicate, and also how we lead.

Erica: If we ignore it, it would be like refusing to learn how to use the Internet in the early two thousands or how to use social media in 2010. The world is moving, and we gotta move with it. So let me take you back to this famous quote. I heard this in an AI course I took, but my cohost on my other podcast always says it. And the quote is, if I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.

Erica: That quote is often attributed to Henry Ford, and what people couldn't envision at the time was a world with cars, trains, planes, motorized vehicles, the whole modern transportation ecosystem. Innovation doesn't wait until you're comfortable with it. And AI is the same.

Erica: We are not just getting faster tools. We are opening the door to entirely new ways of solving problems, of expressing ourselves, and of serving others. AI isn't some weirdo scary sci-fi thing that's gonna replace you. That's one of the fears I hear all the time.

Erica: I want you to think of it like this. AI is a digital intern. It's like having someone on your team twenty four seven who can help you brainstorm. They can help you write. They can be a thought partner, organize, research.

Erica: You name it, it can do it. It can amplify your creativity. What I have found, the biggest thing for me, is it saves me so much time. It can help you serve more people. It can help you stress less, and it can help you stay in your zone of genius and give you more time in that zone of genius.

Erica: It gives you more time for the things that matter most: connecting with your clients, being present with your family, and maybe building that dream you keep putting off. And that's why you can't afford to ignore it, because it's not about being tech savvy. It's about being future ready.

Erica: So let me talk to you about this Harvard Business article that I read. I came across this a few weeks ago, and this article stopped me in my tracks. It revealed that women are adopting generative AI at significantly lower rates than men. We're talking about 25% less on average. And that's not just a little factoid.

Erica: That's real. And that landmark working paper, which analyzed 18 different studies, backs it up: women are about 20% less likely than men to use tools like ChatGPT or Claude. So the first thing I asked was, why is there this gap? What's causing it?

Erica: What they found is that women have ethical concerns. They worry: is this okay? Is it cheating? What are people gonna think?

Erica: According to Harvard Business Review, women are hesitating because they're concerned about ethics, or the fear of being judged for using AI. And I get that, but the tides are changing. I really do think that soon enough, people are gonna start asking how are you using AI, and if you don't have an answer for that, you're gonna be the one in trouble.

Erica: But women also aren't using it because of perfectionism and risk aversion. Women are more likely to wait until they feel 100% ready before exploring AI, whereas men just dive in. They learn by doing even if it's imperfect, and that hesitation is what's costing us valuable learning time. These tools are not perfect right now.

Erica: They are changing every day, so that does present a challenge. But the more familiar you get with it now, the smaller your learning curve will be later. Now the other thing is, women tend to focus on trust and access disparity. A Deloitte study found that in 2024, only thirty three percent of women surveyed had experimented with Gen AI, compared to forty four percent of men. Interestingly, when given equal access, that gap still persisted.

Erica: So it isn't about not having access. It's out there. There are free versions. There are paid versions.

Erica: ChatGPT is $20 a month, I think it's going up to $22 a month, but it's extremely affordable. For women, it's about the underlying attitudes, the confidence, and the trust.

Erica: We're skeptical, and I get it. We should be skeptical, because AI does have biases. It does have hallucinations, so you have to be aware of those things. But the low representation women have in STEM fields also plays a role. We have historically been discouraged from tech, from school to corporate environments, and that shapes our confidence today.

Erica: This matters because when women aren't leaning in, we miss out. Career opportunities slip away. Our voices aren't part of shaping these powerful tools, which is the most important thing. We are working in a system of corporate America that was not built by us and was not built for us. Let's not let that happen with AI.

Erica: If the technology isn't developed with diverse perspectives, it can perpetuate bias instead of dismantling it. This Harvard research isn't just about stats. It's a wake-up call. The data is already there, and we need to get intentional about welcoming women into the AI space. Adoption of AI isn't an extra skill set.

Erica: This is imperative. If you want to be in leadership, you have to think about how you're exploring AI today. Here's the big truth that doesn't get said enough: tech is not neutral. Every piece of AI is shaped by the people who design it, train it, and deploy it. If women are not involved with our empathy, our intuition, and our lived experiences, those AI tools will continue to reflect a narrow world view.

Erica: This gap isn't just about tech adoption. It's about power. It's about equity, and it has a ripple effect. We already know what happens when disruption hits.

Erica: Look a few years back at COVID. When the world shut down, who stayed home? Women did. Why?

Erica: Because in many households, women were the lower earners, and someone had to stay home when schools closed. That's the pay gap in action. Now imagine an AI future where men adopt these tools, boost their productivity, enhance their skill set, and take on higher roles, while women hesitate and wait until we're ready. That's only going to widen the pay gap and the confidence gap, and slide us backwards.

Erica: If we do not lean in now, we risk being left out of the conversations, the decision making, the innovation. We risk becoming consumers of this technology instead of cocreators. But here's the good news: this is also an opportunity, because we are still early in this AI adoption. I know sometimes I feel like I'm far behind, but as of June 2025, you're still early.

Erica: The AI world is still forming, and we, as women, have the chance to shape it, to influence how it's used in health care, education, leadership, entrepreneurship, and everywhere in between. But we can't do that if we stay silent or scared, or if we're not leaning into the technology as it exists today. So one thing I want to talk about is this powerful idea first shared with me by my brilliant friend, Lauren Greif. She was also a guest on the podcast earlier this year. What's up, Lauren?

Erica: She calls it the five C's of humanity, and honestly, it has stuck with me ever since. These are the qualities that will always matter, no matter how smart the tech gets: creativity, compassion, connection, curiosity, and courage. AI can analyze data. It can generate content.

Erica: It can simulate tone, but it's never gonna truly know your life. It's never gonna know your style, your intuition, or your lived experiences. It's never going to understand your morning coffee ritual or the way you light up talking about your purpose. Being human is irreplaceable. If you're feeling overwhelmed or even a little intimidated, let this piece of the podcast be a reset.

Erica: You don't have to become someone you're not. You just need to bring more of who you already are, because your humanity is the advantage. Your warmth, your empathy, your creativity, those things can't be automated, but they can be amplified through AI. If you take nothing else away, this isn't a story about robots taking over.

Erica: This is a story about how humans rise up. There is still hope. There is a place for you in this new AI-focused world if you embrace it. So here's where this gets exciting.

Erica: Women are already wired for success here, because empathy and connection are our superpowers. There was a women's leadership forum that concluded emotional intelligence, interpersonal awareness, and relationship building are what set the leaders apart in this AI-augmented world. And women are the front runner in those areas. So why does this matter for you?

Erica: As AI takes over, your emotional intelligence becomes the most valuable asset you have, not less. As these roles evolve, those who lead with emotional intelligence and curiosity, who listen deeply, navigate conflict, and build trust, are gonna rise to the top. This isn't just a soft skill. It's hard work with real impact: happier teams, better retention, and smarter decisions. AI is not a threat.

Erica: It's your opportunity. Your empathy, your communication, your intuition, and your emotional awareness are all strategic strengths in this AI era. AI can help with the what and how, but only you can bring the humanity. If you feel like you're competing with technology, you're not. You get to unleash those natural gifts in a world that needs them now more than ever.

Erica: So before we close, I want to be practical and give you three ways to start using AI today. A tip from the beginner standpoint, the curious standpoint, and the tech-savvy standpoint. If you're a beginner and you've never dabbled in AI, start playing with something like ChatGPT. If your company has Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini, lean into that. Ask it to help write an email, brainstorm social media captions, or, everyone's favorite, meal planning.

Erica: Just explore, no pressure. One of the best ways to figure out how to use AI is to go to a chatbot like ChatGPT and say, "hey, I'm not sure how to use you today, can you give me some ideas?" It'll start talking back to you. It's called chat for a reason, it's supposed to be a dialogue. So work with it, let it guide you. If you're more AI curious, like me, and you've already stuck a few toes in and like what you're getting, try a different tool you're not used to.

Erica: If you're full-on into ChatGPT, see what it's like to play around with Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot. Use a different one and start to establish your AI tech stack. For me, my tech stack includes Granola, a note-taking app to capture the agenda and action items in my meetings. Then I plug that into ChatGPT.

Erica: Depending on the situation, I'll ask it for different prompts: deep research, synthesizing data, planning for a board meeting. But just get more curious. If you're already in the curious phase, get more curious. Lean in more. Watch a YouTube video. Take a mini course on Coursera.

Erica: That's where I've been getting AI certified, and it's amazing. For the third level, if you're AI serious and tech savvy, I want you to really start understanding prompt engineering. I think that's the skill of the future.

Erica: Start building your own AI chat agents if you haven't already, and explore those possibilities. Then tell me how you're using it, because the biggest leaps I've taken in AI are when I'm just sitting in a room talking with other people, asking them how they're using it. It gives me so much information and so many new ideas for my business.

Erica: There you have it. But here's what I want you to remember: AI is not replacing us. It's revealing what makes us the most powerful.

Erica: We don't have to be like machines. But we do have to be more human than ever during this time. So don't sit this one out. I want you to lean in.

Erica: I want you to get curious. I want you to start messy, and stay messy, because AI evolves every single day. So it's gonna be messy for a while. Let's get comfortable with that. Most importantly, I want you to own your place in the future, because the future is AI, and the future is here.

Erica: Now if this resonated with you, do me a favor. Share this episode with one woman in your life who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already, make sure you're part of Her Collective. We are talking about all things AI inside HER. You even have your own digital version of me, her name is Cheryl, who can help you twenty four seven.

Erica: She can help you learn how to use AI. She can help you snap out of those sticky floors. You need to be in there if you're not already. It is the digital membership for ambitious women who are ready to rise. Because the future is female, and it is now.

Erica: So if today lit a fire under you, here's your next move. Share this episode with a friend, drop a review, and let's keep the conversation going. Remember that your potential is limitless, and the only thing standing in your way is those sticky floors.

Erica: But guess what? You have the power to break through them. So go out there, take up space, and let's shatter some damn ceilings.