AI’s Gender Gap

Generative AI could boost productivity and reduce inequality, but women across the world are at risk of missing out. 

A sweeping analysis by Nick Otis, PhD 25, Assistant Professor Solène Delecourt, and colleagues from Stanford and Harvard found that women were about 20% less likely than men to use tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. Women made up 42% of ChatGPT users, 31% of Claude users, and just 27% of ChatGPT app downloads.

“If this disparity persists, it could create a self-reinforcing cycle: AI systems will be trained on data that’s skewed toward men, which could widen gaps in technology adoption,” Delecourt says. 

The researchers synthesized data from 18 studies covering about 143,000 people worldwide, along with data on generative AI uses between the end of 2022 and May 2024. The gender gap was largely the same across high- and low-income countries and all levels
of education. 

What’s driving the difference? Women reported lower familiarity with gen AI tools than men and less confidence in their ability to use them. They were also more likely to view AI use as cheating and to worry about being penalized professionally.

The research points to the need for more targeted efforts to prevent the AI gender gap from becoming entrenched. “At risk is billions of dollars in lost productivity and missed innovation from women,” Delecourt says.