Why women use AI less often than men

According to research of Bank for International Settlements, 50% of men in the United States have used artificial intelligence (AI) in the past year, compared to just 37% of women. Weekly usage rates show a similar disparity: 19% of men use AI tools regularly, while only 12% of women do so.

World Economic Forum highlights that this gender gap exists across all age groups, but it is most pronounced among Gen Z. For example, 71% of men aged 18–24 use AI weekly, compared to only 59% of women in the same age group.

Even when occupying similar roles, women are less likely than men to use AI at work, according to the study published by Anders Humlum of the University of Chicago and Emilie Vestergaard of the University of Copenhagen.

For instance, only one-third of female teachers use tools like ChatGPT, compared to half of their male counterparts. In software development, nearly two-thirds of men use AI, while fewer than 50% of women do. This gap persists even within the same companies and roles, where women are 20 percentage points less likely to use AI.

Reasons behind the gap

· Lack of confidence

Women often report feeling less confident in their technical skills and express a greater need for additional training.

· Preference for traditional methods

Some women tend to stick to familiar ways of completing tasks and avoid tools they perceive as "shortcuts" or less reliable, even if those tools could increase efficiency.

· Privacy concerns

Women are more likely to worry about data breaches and potential misuse of personal information when using AI.

· Lower trust in technology

Compared to men, women demonstrate lower levels of trust in AI and the organizations that develop it.

AI gender bias

According to UN Women report, women have less access to technology and spend less time online compared to men. This digital gender gap worsens the lack of representation in AI training datasets, resulting in algorithms that reinforce both gender and racial stereotypes. A study of 133 AI systems revealed that 44% exhibited gender bias, while 25% displayed both gender and racial biases.

For instance, when asked to create a story involving a doctor and a nurse, the AI typically portrays the doctor as male and the nurse as female, regardless of the prompt. These patterns persist because the AI's training data encode societal stereotypes, embedding associations between specific genders and roles or skills.

Implications for society

If this gap remains unaddressed, men, as the primary users of AI, will gain advantages in career progression and higher salaries, while women will face additional barriers in the workplace.

AI technologies predominantly developed and used by men risk being tailored to male preferences while neglecting the needs of women. This could lead to algorithms that are less effective or even discriminatory against women.