Lisa’s Story: The Leadership Ceiling in Career Copilots

Lisa’s Story: The Leadership Ceiling in Career Copilots

Lisa is a seasoned operations manager with 15 years of experience. She recently tried out an AI-powered career planning tool—promoted as a “career co-pilot”—to explore her next move. With a strong track record and executive aspirations, she expected suggestions aligned with C-suite potential.

Instead, the AI offered a string of lateral moves: team lead, project coordinator, maybe program manager. Roles she had long surpassed.

What went wrong?
The model had been trained on employment data where women were rarely promoted to leadership. It "learned" that women like Lisa didn’t usually rise to the top—so it couldn’t imagine her there.

Bias Insight:

• The algorithm didn’t evaluate Lisa’s ability.

• It echoed patterns from biased data.

• It failed to see her future because it was blind to her potential.

This quiet exclusion undermines confidence and ambition—especially for women navigating systemic barriers. And it shows how bias doesn't always scream—it whispers through limited options.