When the entry-level door closes, mentorship must open the window

For decades, the talent drain of women in technology was viewed as a mid-career problem. However, the ground is shifting as AI-related technology has taken over. According to data, 28% of women's jobs are at risk from AI and automation. Many of the junior tasks that once helped new professionals gain experience and prove their capabilities are increasingly being automated by artificial intelligence. As AI eats into the junior tasks that once created the foundational skills for a career, we face a challenging and harsh prospect: a future where the next generation of female leaders is locked out before they can even enter the playing field.

As technical fluency becomes a commodity enabled by AI, we must redefine what makes a candidate 'future-ready'. If entry-level roles are becoming extinct, the USP will no longer be how fast you teach a candidate code or summarise a report,  it will be the softer human skills like judgement, empathy, and intuition that machines won't be able to replicate. Currently, women only occupy just 20-29% of tech roles, a figure that has remained stagnant for years and does not show any sign of improving any time soon.

The survival of wisdom

We are entering a world where answers and ideas are instant, but judgment is more rare. AI can provide a thousand solutions, but it cannot distinguish between whether one is ethical, culturally sensitive, or strategically sound in a crisis situation. This is where female leadership offers a distinct competitive advantage.

Historically, women have been programmed to lead with a high degree of emotional intelligence and labour; traits often dismissed as soft skills. In 2026, these are now the hard skills of the AI age. Wisdom, garnered through lived experience, is now one of the most valuable currencies. For women in tech, our ability to safeguard these human elements is what will protect our organisations from the black box ideas of unmonitored and automated algorithms.

The new barrier to entry

However, possessing these skills isn't enough if opportunities are restricted. Over the past few years, we have seen that graduate and entry-level vacancies are at their lowest since 2021. With fewer seats at the table, competition is fierce. We must also acknowledge a complex shift in the talent landscape while we fight old prejudices that have historically kept women out of tech because the current shift that we are seeing is affecting everyone.

If we don't act upon this urgently, we will see women omitted from future roles as companies will go back to the safe traditional hiring profiles. We cannot allow the AI revolution to justify regression in diversity.

Why human judgement still matters more

As a leader, I do not see artificial intelligence as something to resist: instead, I see it as something we must learn to lead responsibly. The real problem isn't whether AI will influence the workplace; that's already happening. It will be how we choose to let it be part of a business thoughtfully and without letting it dictate all our business decisions. 

For me, that starts with keeping people at the centre of our business. Technology should expand human potential, not replace human judgment. We have a responsibility to design careers that stretch and challenge individuals, that gives them room to think critically, solve problems creatively, and make meaningful decisions rather than defaulting to automated outputs.

It also means investing in those who are just beginning. Even if AI can perform certain tasks faster or more efficiently, we cannot allow it to eliminate the learning ground that early careers depend on. Internships, apprenticeships, training programs, and real-world experience are how the next generation builds confidence and capabilities. If we want a strong and diverse future workforce, we must create deliberate pathways for new talent to grow, not assume the technology will take care of it for us.

The role of mentorship

To build resilient, future-ready organisations, we must pivot from passive recruitment to aggressive sponsorship and mentorship. As AI has removed the learning-by-doing phase of junior roles, we must create new ways to pass down human knowledge and expertise.

Mentorship is no longer just a box to tick for HR or work cultural initiative; it is a transfer of experience, wisdom and a way to preserve hard-earned insights from generation to generation.  As female leaders, we have a responsibility to:

• Bridge the experience gap: create actionable and supportive environments for junior women to exercise judgment, not just execution.
• Champion intuition: encourage a culture and a thought process where "the data says X, but my intuition says Y" is valid, followed by a healthy debate around it.
• Invest in retention: retaining women is just as vital as hiring them. We must ensure that the few who do break through the entry-level barrier are supported by mentors who can help them navigate a landscape where their human skills are their greatest strength.

This International Women's Day, I'd like us to recognise that while AI can replicate our output, it can never replicate our perspective. The future of technology will be shaped by people who know how to harness the speed and scale of machines without losing the judgment  and perspective that only humans bring. Innovation alone is not enough - it must be guided with intention and wisdom. 

As this next chapter unfolds, women must not only be part of the story but leading it, helping define how technology serves society rather than the other way around.