AI as a career accelerator: expanding influence beyond the IT function

International Women's Day is an opportunity to reflect not only on progress for women in the workplace, but on the forces reshaping how leadership influence is built. One of the most significant of those forces today is artificial intelligence (AI).

AI is often viewed through a technical lens. Yet across enterprise IT environments, its real transformation is happening in how non-technical functions operate, contribute, and scale. HR is one of them.

My background is not in engineering or data science. It is in human resources. Over the past year, I made a deliberate decision to deepen my understanding of AI, completing courses through OpenAI Academy, LinkedIn Learning and experimenting with practical applications inside my day-to-day work at LogicMonitor.

What began as curiosity quickly became capability.

Initially, I used AI to refine HR communications. In people functions, tone and clarity are critical. I began using AI as a sounding board to stress-test emails, review policy language and analyse whether messages would resonate across different employee cohorts and leadership groups. It helped identify where language could create friction, where intent was unclear and how messaging could better align to business objectives while maintaining empathy.

That foundation evolved into broader operational impact.

As my confidence grew, I became one of 30 global AI Champions at LogicMonitor and the only representative based in Australia, dedicating 20 percent of my role to advancing AI initiatives across HR and the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region. What started as personal experimentation is now becoming enterprise enablement.

One project close to my heart was supporting an internal AI Science Fair in partnership with our Australian sales leader. Cross-functional teams were intentionally blended to develop practical AI solutions that could improve how we work. One team built a GPT-based assistant designed to help employees navigate workplace wellbeing, offering structured reflection, communication guidance, and practical next steps.

The initiative reinforced an important insight: AI's value is not limited to automation or efficiency. It can also strengthen resilience, engagement, and culture across the business.

Access to secure enterprise AI environments has been critical in enabling this progress. Through LogicMonitor's partnership with OpenAI, teams are able to experiment responsibly, building trust and accelerating adoption without compromising governance.

Within HR, we are now using AI to modernise performance management, improve workforce planning, and streamline operational processes. In one recent example, I drafted, refined, legally vetted, and published a new local policy within a single day, a process that previously would have taken weeks. AI accelerated the groundwork. Human oversight ensured rigor, compliance, and clarity.

We have also used AI to build landing pages and learn foundational HTML skills internally, reducing reliance on specialist resources and increasing speed to execution. Tasks that once required extended coordination can now be completed in hours, allowing the team to focus on higher-value strategic initiatives that support business growth.

Over the past six years, I have helped shape LogicMonitor's people strategy across APJ, joining as the first HR hire in the region when the team stood at 18 employees. Despite modest headcount growth, the business has scaled revenue significantly. Productivity, enabled in part through AI adoption, has been central to sustaining that growth while continuing to invest in wellbeing initiatives such as enhanced parental leave, wellness days, and expanded employee benefits.

For women in particular, AI presents a significant opportunity. It lowers barriers to entry in technical domains, accelerates learning curves, and expands influence beyond traditional functional boundaries. You do not need to be an engineer to lead AI initiatives. Curiosity, experimentation, and responsible application are powerful starting points.

There is understandable concern that AI may diminish the human element of work. My experience suggests the opposite. AI removes friction from repetitive tasks and elevates the importance of critical thinking, strategic judgment, and interpersonal leadership.

The future of enterprise IT will be shaped not only by those who build AI systems, but by those who integrate them thoughtfully across every function.

This International Women's Day, the opportunity is clear: engage with AI not as a trend, but as an enterprise capability. For women looking to broaden their impact, it may well be one of the most practical accelerators available.