Non-Cognitive Skills and AI Adoption: A Study of Female Entrepreneurs in Mexico

Women who start businesses in Mexico are very important for the economy to prosper and come up with new ideas. But they often face big problems, such as being discriminated against because of their gender, not having enough money, and not being represented in sectors that are growing quickly. Conventional research has predominantly focused mostly on cognitive skills, including financial literacy and business knowledge. However, the influence of non-cognitive skills (NCS) such as resilience, adaptability, and leadership on entrepreneurial success has yet to be investigated. Business owners should be both optimistic and cautious about how quickly Artificial Intelligence (AI) is growing right now. In Mexico, AI is not being used as much as it should because there are not enough skilled people and data management practices are still weak. Studies also have shown that women use AI technologies a lot less than men do, most of the time, and this is because they do not trust themselves to use these tools and are worried about the ethics of doing so. The objective of this study is to examine the influence of non-cognitive skills on the ability of female entrepreneurs in various Mexican industries to integrate AI technology, as well as the upcoming effects on their business success and sustainability. The study employs a mixed methods approach to be able to collect data from women business owners across several industries in Mexico, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews, to have a better and more complete understanding of the situation and accurate results. The findings indicate that elevated levels of non-cognitive abilities correspond with increased rates of AI adoption, facilitating entrepreneurs in optimizing business operations and fostering innovation. This study demonstrates the correlation between non-cognitive skills and AI adoption, aiming to deepen our understanding of the elements that facilitate the success of women entrepreneurs in Mexico and how the gender bias affects this too.