If you’re using AI for professional work purposes and wondering if it’s being evaluated, it may depend on who you are.
A new study investigated whether women, particularly young women, are treated more harshly than men when they use artificial intelligence in their job search. Zehra Chathu, a former meta-strategist and founder of the think tank Code for Good Now, used AI to generate resumes that were identical with only one difference. One belonged to a candidate named Emily Clarke, and the other belonged to James Clarke.
The resumes were distributed to two groups and they were told that the document had been created with the help of artificial intelligence.
Reviewers of Emily’s resume were 22% more likely to question whether the person was trustworthy compared to James. Additionally, a female candidate’s resume was twice as likely to raise doubts about her competency and ability to perform the job.
Read some of the feedback on Emily’s resume: “She can’t even write one herself. I don’t know if she has the skills to do the job.” James’ resume had a different reaction, justifying the use of AI. Another response was, “He needed a little help putting it together.”
“When men use AI, we question their efforts. When women use AI, we question their integrity. That difference changes the perceived risk of using AI,” Chathu said.
The latest data points reflect broader concerns about gender disparities in AI. In a research paper published last year, Rembrandt Corning, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, said the adoption rate for men and women is about 25%.
Corning said she is concerned about how her work will be perceived if women use or rely on AI, a concern expressed by the Chatoo study. “Women face greater penalties because they are judged as lacking expertise in various fields,” said Corning, a business professor. “Even if they get the answer right, they may be worried that someone will think they were ‘cheating’ by using ChatGPT.”
So it’s perhaps not surprising that women in general tend to be more risk-averse when it comes to AI, a trend that can also be seen in behaviors such as investing. A January survey of 3,000 people by the California Institute of Technology found that women are consistently more skeptical than men that the benefits of AI outweigh the risks and are less confident that the technology will improve their professional lives.
Their concerns may be justified. A Brookings Institution study this year found that 86% of roles with high exposure to AI but low ability to adapt to technological change are held by women.
Gen Z is your harshest critic
Chatoo’s study of 1,000 British adults also shows generational rifts. Gen Z men who grew up with AI share some of the harshest opinions about Emily’s resume.
Of the respondents, 3.5 times as many Gen Z men said Emily’s resume was “weak” compared to James’ resume, which had an approval rating of 97%. In contrast, for the same resume content, 76% of respondents rated Emily’s resume highly.
“If people believe they will be judged more harshly if they use AI, they will be less likely to adopt it, regardless of their ability,” Chatoo added. “Closing the AI adoption gap means addressing not only how people use AI, but also how that use is evaluated.”
