The gap between A, B, & C players is widening quickly
OpenAI 12 days of Christmas and Google New Chip, Willow
AI literacy is important for you and your teams.
Shouting from the mountain tops: You don’t have to be technical to use AI! If you can speak or type, you can use AI.
AI holds immense potential to transform productivity and reduce inequality. However, a persistent gender gap in AI adoption threatens to limit its benefits and exacerbate workplace disparities. The research involving over 100,000 participants across 26 countries reveals a universal trend: women are 25% less likely than men to adopt AI tools. Even when access is equalized, studies show women’s usage remains significantly lower.
Here is a research report authored by Berkley, Stanford, and Harvard.
The Gender Gap and Workplace Performance
This disparity doesn’t just affect gender equity it deepens the divide between high-performing “A players” and their “B” and “C” player counterparts in organizations. I am seeing this daily in the teams that I am working with. The divide is widening at alarming rates.
Key Findings from the research:
Global Gender Gap: Across diverse regions and industries, men consistently outpace women in AI adoption. For example, in the U.S., 50% of men reported using AI in the past year, compared to only 33% of women. I find women tend to feel guilty or lazy using the AI tools versus men.
Technology Amplifies the Divide: Employees who actively adopt AI often accelerate their output, automate repetitive tasks, and focus on strategic initiatives. Those who hesitate or lack access risk falling behind, not just in performance but also in perceived value to their organizations.
Why It Matters:
The workplace is increasingly segmented by those who embrace AI and those who don’t. A players are often characterized by their curiosity, proactivity, and willingness to adapt—leverage AI to solve complex problems and amplify their strengths. B and C players, on the other hand, may lack confidence, training, or encouragement to use AI, resulting in:
Reduced Career Mobility: Hesitation to adopt AI could stymie career growth and widen income gaps, particularly for women and other underrepresented groups.
Missed Opportunities: Companies miss out on diverse perspectives that could drive innovation when adoption rates are uneven.
Reinforced Inequality: AI adoption becomes another factor separating high performers from others, creating a workplace where technology reinforces, rather than bridges, inequality.
Bridging Both Gaps:
Organizations can’t afford to ignore the intersection of gender and performance disparities in AI adoption. Addressing these gaps requires:
Be Intentional: Offer mentorship, AI training, and clear communication about the career benefits of adoption.
Cultural Shifts: Normalize AI use as a team-wide, essential skill rather than an optional advantage for the select few.
Moving Forward
AI has the potential to create more equitable workplaces, but its success hinges on closing adoption gaps. Companies that empower women and support B and C players in embracing AI will not only foster innovation but also build a more inclusive, high-performing workforce.
As AI adoption transforms how we work, leaders have a choice: perpetuate inequalities or unlock the full potential of their teams by addressing these gaps.
You can do this!!! I am rooting for you!
State of AI in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
Loving all the responses so far! Please fill out this quick survey (less than 4 minutes) and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous).
Our Greater Cincinnati and NKY State of AI Report will be available by Q1 2025, and we need your responses! The report draws on feedback from businesses and leaders like you to provide insight into artificial intelligence use cases, adoption, opportunities, and challenges in our community.
The deadline for responses is December 30, 2024!
OpenAI Shipmas
Wow, what a week in AI! OpenAI is doing 12 days of Christmas and dropping new features every day. Here is what has been updated so far. Today will be Day 7 of 12.
-Day 1 Introduction of ChatGPT Pro with full o1 reasoning model , a new business tier priced at $200 per month. Most of us don’t need this level. You are good with the $20 per month for now.
-Day 2 Demonstration of Reinforcement Fine-Tuning research
-Day 3 Unveiling of Sora, an AI video generator. If you have the paid version of ChatGPT, you have access to up to 1000 credits and up to 10 seconds of video creation, no text overlay or music. https://sora.com/ I have played with it. It still has a long way to go. With the mad rush to try it will you have to keep trying to login to gain access so be patient.
-Day 4 Launch of ChatGPT Canvas, adding a code editor and text editor to their toolkit
-Day 5 Integration of ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence
-Day 6 Santa mode is available today and video in advanced voice mode is rolling out in the future
Review them in detail here: https://openai.com/12-days/
Google’s New Quantum Chip, Willow
Willow performed a standard benchmark computation in under five minutes that would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers 10 septillion (that is 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years) to complete. This isn’t just a minor adjustment this is a significant leap that our brains can’t wrap our heads around.
Why is this important? Quantum computing is still in its early stages, but breakthroughs like Willow bring us closer to using it for real-world problems, including optimizing AI. If successful, it could help make AI not only smarter but also more energy-efficient, which is important for the environment and cost-saving for businesses.
Ok, stay with me. What is quantum computing? Quantum computing can be thought of as solving a maze. Let’s break it down simply:
Traditional Computers:
Imagine a single mouse in a maze.
The mouse tries one path at a time, step by step until it eventually finds its way out.
This is like a regular computer: it processes problems one step at a time, very fast, but still sequential.
Quantum Computers:
Now imagine releasing a whole group of mice into the maze.
They all explore different paths at the same time, quickly finding the shortest route out.
This is quantum computing: it can look at many possibilities simultaneously, making it much faster for certain types of problems.
Why Quantum Computing is Exciting:
Speed: It can solve certain problems in seconds that would take traditional computers years or even centuries.
Energy Efficiency: Because it works so quickly, it could use much less energy for massive computations, like running AI systems or simulating new medicines.
https://blog.google/technology/research/google-willow-quantum-chip/
Greater Cincinnati AI Events
New events are added weekly.
2025 dates for you https://kendraramirez.com/cincinnati-ai-events-2025/
Jan 9 NKU BizAccess Hub AI hands on training 101
Jan 14 CincyAI 3-5 at UC Digital Futures building https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1072665775209?aff=oddtdtcreator
Jan 14 Hands on AI 101 Training for Nonprofits 12-2 (I am leading this session) https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/xnvwmq9/lp/469c46e9-f8c8-4984-a4b5-5d5e71b40550 Only $25 per person.
Jan 15 Dayton AI Day at Sinclair College https://www.technologyfirst.org/DAID25 I am speaking about AI Adoption.
Jan 24 CAIC 4th Fridays (Carl Fraik)
Feb 4 CincyAI 3-5 at UC Digital Futures building
Feb 6 AI for Marketing and Creatives (Cincinnati Chamber)
Feb 20 Kelly Cohen: AI and Emerging Technology Symposium
Feb 20 AI for Data, Risk and Security (Cincinnati Chamber)
Feb 27 ATC Tech Summit
March 20 AI for Nonprofits (Cincinnati Chamber)
March 27 AI for Enterprise-Logistics and Healthcare (Cincinnati Chamber)
I love answering your AI questions. Feel free to message me.
Where AI and inspiration collide!
Kendra Ramirez
KendraRamirez.com
We provide AI Speaking and Training, AI Readiness Assessments, AI Strategy, AI roadmap and implementation, and AI Coaching for small to mid-size businesses and nonprofits.
Happy Holidays to you and your family! Enjoy your time together! I hope you get some rest and reflection before diving back into the new year!