How AI helps neurodivergent professionals showcase their strengths
Kim Akers settles into a corner table at a coffee shop near her Seattle home. The hum of conversation and clatter of cups fade into the background as the Microsoft executive begins another day leading large teams, managing family life and navigating complex challenges — not just in business, but in the way her mind works.
Akers lives with ADHD, dyslexia and dysgraphia, meaning tasks like reading, writing and organizing information require extra effort and creativity. She recalls having to turn down an invitation to read a passage at her brother’s wedding, and the confusion in one of the first teams she led at work when she referred to everyone by their first names, although several shared the same one, because she couldn’t easily read more complicated last names.
But as technology has evolved, so has Akers’ toolkit. AI-powered aids such as Copilot are helping her manage the cognitive load, shifting the focus from hurdles to strengths so she can communicate and lead in ways that once felt out of reach. She’s part of a growing wave of business professionals with neurodivergent traits — differences in brain function, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — who are finding greater confidence and efficiency through AI.
“When I saw the ability to take an input in, like here’s what I’m trying to communicate in an email, and then get it back in seconds and have it be 90% of the way there, that was a game changer,” says Akers, who uses Copilot at work and at home. “When the tech got good enough that you could use prompts, it really effectively cut down a lot of your prep work.”
Now that she can set her own meetings with Copilot’s help in Outlook, she has more control over her calendar and her days. She uses Microsoft 365 Copilot across the apps to do things like summarize documents, write emails and streamline meeting preparation by building lists of questions to ask her team about projects underway.
The tool helps her analyze sales data and draft outlines for presentations. It even helps her support her kids with their homework by generating practice problems or breaking down big assignments into manageable steps.
“Neurodivergent leaders who harness the full range of their natural and artificial assets are a beautiful illustration of the potential that the hybrid future offers for all of us,” says researcher and author Dr. Cornelia C. Walther, who focuses on “prosocial AI” — systems designed to amplify human potential and foster equity.
AI can be a bridge to greater inclusion and a connector that helps people participate more fully in society, says Walther, a senior fellow at the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative and Harvard’s Learning and Innovation Lab. The tools can help people with neurodivergence curate a new inner dialogue, moving beyond the self-judgment that can come with feeling different, she says.
“AI can serve as a sort of translator, not of language, but of ability,” Walther says. “It can make sure there is a path that connects your ability and makes it useful in the way in which society is currently normed.”
Recent research from professional services network EY underscores this, finding that generative AI can reduce barriers and support more inclusive ways of working. That’s significant for a workforce where an estimated 15-20% of people — and an even higher share of Gen Z — identify as neurodivergent.
In the EY survey of 300 employees with disabilities or neurodivergence across 17 organizations worldwide, respondents described how tools like Copilot helped with initiating tasks, organizing thoughts, spotting mistakes and improving accuracy. They said Copilot helped them stay on top of emails, focus in meetings instead of taking notes, and draft documents, spreadsheets and presentations — especially useful for those with dyslexia.
The study found Copilot’s impact goes beyond productivity. Participants said the tool’s support in making it easier to communicate, manage information and stay organized in turn boosted their confidence, motivation and impact. Many noted that Copilot helped them play to their strengths and overcome common hurdles, with 68% saying it reduced work anxieties and 71% saying it gave them hope.
Neurodivergent professionals don’t just benefit from AI tools; they’re often the ones who find the most creative and effective ways to use them, says Hiren Shukla, who founded EY’s global neurodiversity program and lives with ADHD and dyslexia.
When EY ran a six-week innovation sprint with neurodivergent team members using Copilot earlier this year, Shukla says, ideas poured in: 60 to 80 process improvement suggestions, many sparked by the inventive approaches employees took to tackle problems.
“It’s not just AI helping neurodivergence,” Shukla says. “It’s the power of neurodivergence maximizing the use of Copilot. When you harness that divergence and partner with AI, you’ll see greater innovation, higher use cases, more ideation and application of AI.”
As organizations increasingly recognize the value of neurodivergent talent, and as AI tools become more inclusive, the ripple effects go beyond individual careers and corporate innovation to benefit everyone, he says.
This dynamic is especially pronounced at the leadership level, he says, where disclosure is often rare and role models are few.
“We hear a lot about frontline workers using AI, but not enough about neurodivergent leaders,” Shukla says. “Having executives like Kim Akers share their stories is crucial. It activates other leaders out there so they see themselves, lean in more and celebrate how they use AI, whether they disclose their neurodivergence or not.”
AI tools are creating opportunities for people who have been historically left out of mainstream companies and institutions, says Maitreya Shah, the American Association of People with Disabilities’ technology policy director.
“AI also gives you a level of independence and privacy for things you might not want to ask for help with from others,” he says, such as being able to communicate more effectively or understanding complicated yet sensitive health or financial documents. “That feeling of agency, of being able to do things independently, with AI helping you without involving family members or caregivers — all of that feels very transformative.”
As technology removes barriers, it also helps make room for the unique qualities neurodivergent professionals bring to their teams. For example, people with neurodivergence sometimes have a little extra empathy for and curiosity about others, Akers says, recognizing that they don’t necessarily know “what everybody’s bringing to the table.”
That curiosity draws Akers to set aside time every night to experiment with new tools and prompts, whether it’s exploring a competitor’s product, trying out a new Copilot feature or reading up on the latest advances in AI.
“I like to get my hands dirty, to actually physically try it and see what happens,” she says. “That’s how I stay up on top of it, just because it’s changing so fast.”
But it’s not only about keeping pace with technology; it’s about staying open to new ways of working and connecting. Akers credits her neurodivergence with making her more willing to lean into trial and error and with helping her appreciate the different perspectives her colleagues bring.
“When you’re neurodivergent, you have to always be figuring out little hacks,” she says. “You spend a lot of time learning from other people, like, ‘That worked for you, let me try it out.’ Collaborating, problem-solving, being creative, not being stuck on one way to do something, but being pretty open to trying things, and if they don’t work, just trying again with the next thing.”
It’s a blend of empathy, curiosity and adaptability that Akers sees as a leadership advantage — one that’s increasingly vital as AI tools reshape the workplace. By embracing experimentation and valuing difference, she’s not just finding ways to make her own work easier; she’s helping build a culture where everyone’s strengths have room to shine. It’s a commitment she carries into her role as co-executive sponsor of Microsoft’s Disability and Neurodiversity Inclusion Networks, groups dedicated to supporting and empowering employees across the company.
“There are so many positive things,” she says, “that come out of having a brain that thinks differently.”
Lead photo: Kim Akers, chief operations officer for Microsoft’s commercial business and co-executive sponsor of Microsoft’s Disability and Neurodiversity Inclusion Networks (photo by Scott Eklund)
AI tools you can use
Copilot across Microsoft 365 apps
Microsoft 365 Copilot can help with tasks in Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams.
Functions: Summarizes messages and documents, drafts documents and emails, and adjusts writing tone
Uses: Helps reduce cognitive load and overcome writer’s block by organizing information and generating first drafts
Especially helpful for: ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety
Teams Intelligent Recap
Teams Intelligent Recap can automatically capture and summarize meetings.
Functions: Provides notes, transcripts, key points, tasks and suggested questions
Uses: Supports focused meeting participation, prompts engagement during discussion and reinforces takeaways with structured summaries that reduce memory strain
Especially helpful for: ADHD, autism, anxiety
Immersive Reader
Immersive Reader can customize and verbalize text on a screen.
Functions: Reads text aloud with highlighting, offers line focus, adjusts formatting and spacing, breaks words into syllables and provides translation or pictures
Uses: Reduces sensory overload and visual crowding to improve focus, tailors reading to different cognitive styles and allows information to be taken in through other senses
Especially helpful for: dyslexia, ADHD, autism
Focus and Do Not Disturb
Focus and Do Not Disturb can reduce distractions in Windows, Teams and Outlook.
Functions: Temporarily hides and mutes notifications and schedules focus time in advance
Uses: Maintains focus without interruption, prevents multitasking stress and cognitive overload, and customizes how and when information is received
Especially helpful for: ADHD, autism, anxiety
Speech-to-text
Dictate (speech-to-text) provides a voice-based way to write and navigate a PC.
Functions: Transcribes spoken words into text and allows PC control through dictation
Uses: Eases and speeds up the mechanical process of typing, allows focus on ideas instead of spelling, grammar or syntax and offers an alternate way to communicate
Especially helpful for: dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, autism
PowerPoint Live
PowerPoint Live can publish shared slides for each attendee in a Teams meeting.
Functions: Shares slide decks directly with attendees and allows customized viewing options
Uses: Allows viewers to move through presentations at different paces and revisit material as needed, and enables high-contrast views, live translation and other personalization
Especially helpful for: dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety