UNDERSTANDING AI By Angela Dingle The next 25 years: ensuring women entrepreneurs lead in the age of AI In 2001, a small group of determined women business owners came together with a simple but powerful belief: women entrepreneurs deserved a seat at the table where policy decisions impacting economic opportunities were being made. Twenty-five years later, as Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) celebrates its silver anniversary, that belief remains as relevant as ever. The difference is that today’s table looks very different. On June 2nd, WIPP members gathered in Washington, DC. We heard about the state of federal procurement as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy, energy production, and healthcare reform. AI is reshaping the economy, redefining work, transforming government procurement, and influencing the future competitiveness of businesses of every size. The question before us is not whether AI will transform the economy. It already is. The question is whether women entrepreneurs will help shape that transformation, or whether they will be forced to adapt to decisions made without them. For 25 years, WIPP has advocated for policies that expand access to capital, create procurement opportunities, and strengthen the economic influence of women entrepreneurs. Yet as we look toward the next 25 years, AI has rapidly evolved and in the process has become an essential tool for women entrepreneurs intersecting with every challenge and opportunity facing them today. Recent findings from WIPP’s 2026 Economic Blueprint reveal a business community that is resilient, innovative, and embracing new technologies. Women entrepreneurs increasingly recognize the potential of AI to improve operational efficiency, enhance customer engagement, strengthen cybersecurity, streamline compliance, and create new products and services. At the same time, many entrepreneurs’ report uncertainty about implementation costs, workforce impacts, data governance, and the rapidly evolving regulatory environment. These concerns are valid. History has shown that transformative technologies often create significant wealth and opportunity, but not always for everyone. Communities and businesses excluded from early adoption, investment, and policymaking frequently find themselves struggling to catch up. Women entrepreneurs cannot afford to be observers in the AI economy. We must be architects. That means more than adopting AI tools. It means participating in the conversations that determine how AI is developed, governed, procured, and deployed across both the public and private sectors. If women entrepreneurs are not included in these conversations and newly innovation ecosystems, the consequences will extend far beyond individual companies. Entire sectors risk losing the diverse perspectives that drive creativity, innovation, and economic growth. The future of innovation depends on whether women entrepreneurs and small businesses are at the table. America’s greatest breakthroughs have often emerged from entrepreneurs willing to challenge conventional thinking. Small businesses bring agility, creativity, and problem-solving capabilities that larger organizations sometimes struggle to replicate. Women entrepreneurs are a critical part of that innovation engine. When markets evolve without thoughtful inclusion, advantages concentrate among the largest players, and the competitive landscape narrows.1 The future of AI should not be designed solely by large technology companies, policymakers, or investors. It must also reflect the experiences and expertise of entrepreneurs who understand customer needs, workforce realities, and market opportunities firsthand. This is particularly important because AI is not simply a technology issue. It is an economic competitiveness issue. Businesses that effectively leverage AI will likely gain advantages in productivity, market reach, operational efficiency, and decision-making. Those that do not may face increasing challenges competing in a rapidly changing marketplace. Fortunately, women entrepreneurs have never been strangers to adaptation. Over the past 25 years, we have influenced public policy, navigated economic downturns, financial crises, global pandemics, supply chain disruptions, workforce shortages, and technological revolutions. Each challenge has reinforced a lesson that remains true today: resilience is our superpower. However, the next era requires purposeful investment in digital readiness, workforce development, cybersecurity, capital access, and AI literacy. It requires public policies that ensure women entrepreneurs can access emerging opportunities, corporate procurement strategies that include innovative small businesses, and entrepreneurs willing to learn, experiment, and lead. As WIPP celebrates 25 years of advocacy, we are not simply reflecting on how far women entrepreneurs have come. We are focused on where we must go next. Women entrepreneurs have earned their place at the table. Now we must claim our place in shaping the future. My call to action is simple: embrace AI, engage in policy discussions, invest in your digital capabilities, and make your voice heard. Join WIPP and help advocate for women entrepreneurs. Demand a seat at the table in conversations about innovation and procurement. ANGELA DINGLE is CEO of Women Impacting Public Policy and a member of the Enterprising Women Advisory Board. Connect and learn more at www.wipp.org. 36 enterprising Women
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