The Women in Technology (WIT) Presents: NYU AI Essentials event (co-sponsored by the NYU Women’s Leadership Forum) which I recently attended empowered attendees – particularly women – to connect, learn, and feel inspired by women leaders in AI.

Tamara Santiago, a founding member of the NYU Women in Technology (WIT) Steering Committee, introduced the event to nearly 150 in-person and online attendees by welcoming guest speaker, De Angela L. Duff, Associate Vice Provost and NYU Tandon Professor, and presenter, Courtney Steers, Faculty Engagement and Training Manager at NYU IT.

Bridging the GenAI Adoption Gap

Associate Vice Provost Duff opened with a pointed reminder that currently, no one is an expert in AI. “GenAI has only been publicly available for six semesters, since November 2022, and is rapidly evolving,” she emphasized. “As we learn about AI together, be in conversation with your peers and especially your students, who are leading the charge.”

Why is AI literacy important for women in particular? Duff explained that according to one study, women in the United States report that they view AI as less beneficial and more harmful across personal, work, and public life than surveyed males (Paik et al., 2025). She shared a growing body of research on gender disparity, such as a 2025 study showing male students were less likely to view using AI as “cheating,” than did women. This preliminary study also shows that male students tend to use AI even when policies restrict or prevent its use, while women adhere to the policy, contributing to the technology adoption gap and even bias between genders in education and in the workplace (Carvajal, Franco, & Isaksson, 2025). 

Although a 2024 analysis by Deloitte predicts that the AI adoption gap between women and men will nearly close in the coming year, women are still more skeptical about the reliability and utility of generative AI in comparison to men (Hupfer et al., 2024). Duff summarized additional contributing factors to the gender disparity within AI, including women’s value of ethical and fair use of AI, desire for training, and protectiveness of personal data (Hupfer et al., 2024). 

Among several strategies to stay informed and bridge this gap in the workforce and for NYU students, Associate Vice Provost Duff suggested the following:

• Continuously engage with generative AI tools, such as Google Gemini, NotebookLM, and Adobe Firefly and Adobe Express. All NYU faculty and staff have access to these tools with their NYU login credentials.

• Utilize available NYU resources, such as Teaching with Generative AI.

• Stay engaged in conversation with students. Today, students are using generative AI to help create outlines for assignments, as a tutor and as research assistants, thought partners, and much more. Consider how you can use AI productively and ethically in courses and in your own work.

• Practice with a peer learning community, such as NYU Women in Technology(WIT).

AI Workshop and Demonstrations

Courtney Steers, Faculty Engagement and Training Manager at NYU IT, followed with introductory workshop that (1) summarized the basics of Gemini, NotebookLM, and Adobe Firefly and Adobe Express, (2) demonstrated their respective features live, and (3) encouraged hands-on practice and collaborative learning in breakout rooms. 

Though attendees varied from beginner to advanced users of generative AI, Steer’s summary and demonstration was timely: just two days prior to this workshop, new features had been added to both Gemini and NotebookLM that were included in her modeling. Zoom breakout rooms also allowed attendees both to learn from one another’s discoveries and best practices as well as connect with others within the Women in Technology community and Women’s Leadership Forum.

By the time you read this, even more features will have been released as generative AI continues to rapidly evolve and integrate into existing systems of technology. Depending on learning level, Courtney Steers suggested concrete activities and tips for beginner, intermediate, and advanced practice for each generative AI tool:

• Google Gemini Learning Exercises

• NotebookLM Activity Tip Sheet

• Adobe Firefly and Express Learning Exercises

For a comprehensive overview of this informative WIT session, access the recording and slides (NYU login required). To stay informed about NYU AI policies, trainings, and updates, sign up for the NYU Research and Technology Newsletter(NYU login required). 

References

Carvajal, D., Franco, C., & Isaksson, S. (2025, March 20). Will artificial intelligence get in the 

way of achieving gender equality? (Department of Economics Research Paper Series 

No. 3). Norwegian School of Economics. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4759218

Hupfer, S., Matheson, B., Crossan, G., Bucaille, A., & Loucks, J. (2024, November 19). Women 

and generative AI: The adoption gap is closing fast, but a trust gap persists. Deloitte 

Center for Technology, Media, and Telecommunications. https://www2.deloitte.com/ 

Paik, S., Novozhilova, E., Mays, K. K., & Katz, J. E. (2025). Who benefits from AI? Examining 

different demographics' fairness perceptions across personal, work, and public life. Discover Artificial Intelligence, 5(39). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44163-025-00235-7

Image Credit: Generated by Google Gemini, 2025