A comprehensive study from Harvard Business School has uncovered a significant gender disparity in artificial intelligence adoption that could have far-reaching implications for workplace equity.
The research, released today, shows women are adopting AI tools at a 25 percent lower rate than men on average, despite the fact that the benefits would apply equally across genders. In many cases, women's reluctance stems from ethical concerns about using these tools and fears they will be judged harshly in the workplace for relying on them.
The study, led by HBS Associate Professor Rembrand Koning and colleagues, examined 18 studies involving more than 140,000 college students and workers across multiple countries, including business owners, data analysts, software developers, and executives. Across most studies, the share of women adopting AI tools was 10 to 40 percent smaller than men, with researchers' best estimate placing the gap at 25 percent.
Even when access to AI technology was equalized, the gender gap persisted. In a study conducted in Kenya where access to ChatGPT was equalized, women were still about 13.1 percent less likely to adopt the technology compared to men, indicating deeper factors at play beyond simple access issues.
This adoption gap raises serious concerns about workplace equity. As businesses increasingly integrate AI into their operations, women who continue to avoid these tools might fall behind in developing valuable skills needed for career advancement, potentially widening the persistent gender gap in wages and career opportunities.
Koning recommends that companies go beyond providing equal access to AI and make concerted efforts to invite all employees to experiment with these tools. "I'd love to see trainings around AI that everyone has to go through in order to make them comfortable," he says. Drawing from research on psychological safety, Koning urges companies to create cultures where using AI is not only normalized but encouraged. "In talking with companies about using generative AI, places where it seems gaps are the smallest are those where leaders are saying, 'We want everyone to adopt these tools. Some stuff's going to work and some stuff's not, and that's OK.'"