One of the hardest things about leaving the corporate world was not having an IT department to call for help.
But, my goodness, how far I’ve come.
Last week, I even built an app!
I didn’t set out to build one. It emerged from a problem-solving conversation with AI, and suddenly there it was: a working tool that streamlines how I track my personal expenses. Wow.
How do you feel about AI?
The gap that concerns me
I’ve been reading some interesting statistics about people in Japan and women — two groups I deeply care about as a leadership and communication coach in Tokyo.
According to Indeed’s 2025 Workforce Insights Report, Japan ranks last among major economies in AI adoption at just 18% — compared to 43% in the US and 41% in the UK. And of those who haven’t adopted AI, 68% say they simply don’t see the relevance to their lives.
Globally, women are using AI at a rate 25% lower than men. Research suggests many women worry that using AI could be seen as “cheating” or evidence they lack expertise.
Even more concerning is that women in high-income countries are nearly three times more likely than men to work in jobs most exposed to AI automation.
And I find myself thinking: mottainai.
What a waste, if this continues
Talking with Japanese business professionals around me, I often hear they’re enamored with how beautifully AI can write emails in English.
But take care: AI doesn’t always get the nuance right. A client once emailed me referring to “Mr. Tanaka.” I was puzzled — I couldn’t think of a Mr. Tanaka in our project. Then I realized this was Mrs. Tanaka. AI had simply assumed that “Tanaka-san” in the original Japanese was male.
Beyond email, many people are using AI like a Google search. Useful — but just the tip of the iceberg.
I’m by no means an expert, but for reference here are some examples of what I did with AI this past week:
- Integrated AI with my regular tools — I can now quickly complete certain tasks with a brief voice command
- Updated my LinkedIn profile to be more visible to AI-powered searches — and was delighted to receive an executive coaching inquiry from someone who told me Gemini had recommended me by name
- Brainstormed and built a plan to celebrate a significant upcoming milestone — more on that below
- Got advice on refreshing my balcony plants — I’ve trained my AI not to sugar coat, so was amused when it told me: “Helen, I’ll be direct. They’re dead.”
The range is the point. Professional and personal. Strategic and mundane. This is what experimentation is about.
But let’s be honest about the risks
While I’m enthusiastic, these concerns are worth taking seriously:
- Job displacement — hitting hardest in the roles least equipped to absorb the change
- Privacy and surveillance — a big concern in corporate environments
- Misinformation and deception — deepfakes, manipulation, eroded trust
- AI slop — low-quality, mass-produced content that clutters our social media
- Cognitive atrophy — if AI does our thinking, we may lose the muscle
I’m doing my best to stay informed. My philosophy is always: What do I have control over? How can I help?
So here’s my encouragement to you
Don’t wait for your IT department. Don’t wait for your company’s AI taskforce to hand you a policy. Consider what you can do that would be helpful for you and your organization.
Start experimenting — not just with email, but with your real work challenges. Your planning. Your thinking. Your personal life. See what’s possible when you work with AI to expand your thinking and quality of life rather than just as a translation tool or search engine.
For best results, give it plenty of context and remind it what year we’re in (since much of the data it works from is usually already a few years old).
With thoughtful oversight, we can hand the repetitive and systematic tasks to AI — and use the time we free up for our most rewarding work, for human connection, for wellbeing and fun.
Less effort. More impact. That’s exactly what this is about. And that is why I’m so fired up about it.
How about you? Are you experimenting with AI in your work or personal life? What’s working, what’s surprising you, or what’s holding you back?
📸 BTW, the AI or not AI image image is from the Human-Centered AI Leadership Academy, which I participated in last year.