How Artificial Intelligence is helping the neurodiverse workforce to deliver competitive advantage.

How Artificial Intelligence is helping the neurodiverse workforce to deliver competitive advantage.

It is estimated that 15-20% of the workforce are considered to be neurodiverse. The neurodiverse workforce brings a wealth of unique and essential strengths to the workforce – often the kinds of strengths that are hard to teach but incredibly valuable.

Such strengths include creativity, hyperfocus, innovative thinking and detail processing, which are all identified as top skills for a future workforce in the study by Birbeck, University of London.

Therefore, given the importance of this section of the workforce, how is AI helping them to reach their full potential and enabling them to deliver a competitive advantage for the companies they work for?

AI can help in numerous practical and personalised ways – especially around focus, organisational skills, task management and communication skills.

Executive Function Assistant

Many neurodivergent people (especially with ADHD or autism) are known to struggle with prioritising, planning, task initiation and time management; but AI tools can handle or support all of those:

• Tools such as Motion or Reclaim.ai Syncs with Google Calendar and protects focus time and can auto-schedule recurring habits (like deep work, breaks, or admin time).
• Tools that allow virtual coworking with real humans e.g. Focusmate – A session can be booked, a goal articulated, and then the coworkers can work quietly on video, very useful for those with ADHD to stay focused, or listen to Brain.fm to help maintain focus.

• Task breakdowns with ChatGPT using prompts such as “Break this big project into ADHD-friendly steps.” Or “Help me make a realistic schedule for today”

It’s like having a co-pilot who never forgets, never judges, and is available 24/7.

Communication Made Easier

AI can help neurodivergent people write emails, reports, or responses faster; It can translate neurodivergent communication styles into neurotypical expectations (and vice versa!). Tools like Grammarly or ChatGPT smooth out tone or help make points more clearly using prompts such as “How can I say this professionally?”

This is huge for people who get overwhelmed with perfectionism or social fatigue.

Reduces Decision Fatigue

AI can filter choices, offer suggestions, or rank priorities. For ADHD brains that spiral in indecision, this means less cognitive overload and more momentum.

Examples:

• “Which task should I do next?”
• “What’s the fastest way to finish this?”

AI can answer in seconds.

Sensory + Workflow Adaptation

AI tools like Otter.ai can transcribe meetings (so no notes have to be written); voice assistants allow hands-free work, and chatbots can reduce the pressure of real-time social interaction.

In other words, AI gives the ability to work in a way that suits the neurodiverse person, not the way the system was built for someone else. Maybe you have a client, employee, family member or friend who is neurodiverse. Perhaps you are neurodiverse yourself. AI is a game-changer for the neurodiverse workforce because it helps level the playing field. It’s not just assistive – it’s amplifying; by allowing automation of the boring tasks, it allows more time for the innovation and creative thinking that all companies need going forward, including us at B2E Consulting.

About the author, Alex King.

Alex spent the first ten years of her career at Accenture specialising in change management & process design for financial services organisations. She then moved to roles at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse where she worked on large scale HR transformation projects.

More recently she has worked for a startup Lloyd’s of London Broker as Head of Organisational Effectiveness.

When Alex is not working, she enjoys a renovation project, spending time with family and friends and is a keen visitor to all things National Trust!