Australia, 11 March 2026 – AI use among women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries has more than doubled in a year, rising from 38% in 2024 to 82% in 2025, according to new global research. This marks the fastest shifts in business tool adoption observed in the Foundation’s annual research.
Awareness of AI is near universal among digitally connected respondents. Only 2% report being unfamiliar with the technology, compared with 24% the previous year. More than half of AI users report weekly use and over a third report daily use, underscoring how rapidly these tools have moved from experimentation to routine business activity within just twelve months.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises account for the majority of jobs in developing economies, meaning the speed and depth of AI integration have implications for employment, growth and economic resilience.
The study, produced by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in partnership with Intuit and the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law project, surveyed over 3,000 women business owners in low and middle income countries.
It finds that the central question is no longer whether women entrepreneurs will adopt AI, but whether they are equipped to use it deeply and safely in the business functions that shape long-term success.
While 68% of women report time savings, those gains are not automatically translating into business growth. AI use remains concentrated in lower-risk, customer-facing functions such as marketing. Only 33% of frequent users apply AI in operations and 40% in bookkeeping and finance, areas that underpin cost management, planning and resilience.
The report concludes that the next phase of AI adoption is about depth of integration. Practical constraints including time pressures, access to applied digital skills and structured support determine whether women move from surface-level use to embedded integration across workflows.
With deliberate, targeted action to support deeper integration, AI presents a significant opportunity to strengthen business resilience and unlock productivity and growth.
Cherie Blair CBE KC, Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, said:
“The speed at which women entrepreneurs have moved from awareness to action is extraordinary. In just one year, AI has shifted from curiosity to daily business practice.
“But adoption is only the first chapter. The real test is whether women can use AI in the functions that determine profitability, resilience and long-term growth.
“If we want AI to reduce inequality rather than widen it, we must move beyond access and invest in applied skills, practical support and tools that reflect the realities of running a small business. With targeted action, AI can become a powerful engine of economic empowerment for women worldwide.”
Tea Trumbic, the Manager for the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law project, added:
“Around the world, women continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic responsibilities, limiting the time they can invest in paid work or growing their businesses. While AI and digital tools hold promise in easing these constraints, technology alone is not enough.
“Ensuring women not only cope, but thrive in the age of AI requires the same foundation that drives economic opportunity: equal rights under the law and access to services and institutions that work in practice.”
The report sets out actions for governments, development institutions and technology providers. It calls for:
A shift from measuring AI adoption to supporting depth of integration
Investment in applied, function-specific digital and AI skills
Reduced learning and experimentation costs through supported onboarding and trial models
Strengthened digital infrastructure and practical support that enables women to participate fully in the digital economy.
AI adoption among women entrepreneurs has accelerated rapidly. The next phase will depend on how effectively AI is integrated into core business functions, supported by practical training, applied skills and accessible tools.
The full report can be read here.
