New Shorenstein Center Report Explores the Gender Gap in Perceptions and Use of AI

New research from the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School shows gender gaps in how people use, trust, and perceive AI. The new report “Are Women Being Left Out of AI?” builds on the common knowledge that the AI workforce is dominated by men with new data establishing that the gender gap isn’t confined to the tech industry. Women are also less likely to be trained on AI, use it, trust it, and far less likely to be quoted as experts on it in the media.

Report Co-Principal Investigator and former TIME Editor-in-Chief Nancy Gibbs stated:

“As AI increasingly shapes our information environment, this research reveals the range of perceptions of its value and risks. It captures how people view and use AI tools and where gender differences appear in the intense public debate over them.” The study found that men are more optimistic and confident in their use of AI—while women are often more wary. Both agree that men’s views and needs are more widely represented as AI develops, and men are far more likely to be cited as experts in news coverage.

While the gender gap inside AI companies is well-documented, the gender gap around how AI is experienced outside the industry has received less attention. Key findings include:

• Male voices dominate the AI debate: Men are named in AI headlines 14.6 times as often than women. An analysis of over 70,000 news articles about AI over the past year showed men are cited as experts 4.3 times more often than women, even when executives, founders, officials, and investors are removed from the analysis.
• Women trust AI less: Women are more likely than men to feel worried, anxious, and fearful of AI, while men report feeling curious, interested, and excited about AI at much higher levels.
• Women use AI less: Women are more likely than men to have never used AI either at work or in their personal lives. 46% of women say they never use AI at work compared to 36% of men.
• Women receive less AI training: Women (64%) are far more likely to report they receive no AI training in the workplace compared to men (49%), and report feeling less encouragement and mentorship around the use of AI.
• Men use AI more intensely: Men spend nearly twice the share of their browsing time on it than women do.

Report co-author and Shorenstein Center Executive Director Laura Manley says, “Our research has turned many assumptions into data-driven evidence of an expansive AI gender gap–one that extends from usage, to trust, to training, and who gets quoted in the media. The question now is who gets to decide on the future of AI and how much will women be involved.”

The report highlights where gender differences are largest, where they are narrowing, and provides recommendations for action. More importantly, the report’s findings give companies, funders, and media outlets a clear baseline for closing these gaps before they harden.

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The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy is a Harvard Kennedy School research center focused on media and the flow of essential information in societies. It is dedicated to examining how media is created, distributed and consumed – and its impacts on society. The Shorenstein Center pursues its mission through original research, convening leaders in practice and scholarship, providing trainings for students and media practitioners, and highlighting excellence in the fields of media and content production.

This research was funded by Pivotal. Founded by Melinda French Gates, Pivotal is a group of organizations working to accelerate the pace of social progress for women and young people in the U.S. and around the world.