Women are less likely to jump on the generative AI bandwagon – which could damage their long-term career success, according to a new report in Fortune.
As companies move quickly to adopt new tech tools, women are about 25% less likely than men to use AI. Experts warn that this could have an adverse effect on women’s careers, but it could also perpetuate bias within the systems if they’re not trained on data that capture women’s needs.
“I’m really worried that we’re at risk of creating a two-tiered AI economy if we don’t engage women more actively and really respect the unique skills and expertise that they bring to the field, skills that are critically important to making sure that AI evolves safely and equitably,” said Mara Bolis, founder of First Prompt, which advises businesses on AI.
Women are more likely to worry about the ethical implications of using AI and they take a more hesitant approach to using it consistently, according to researchers at Stanford University, Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley.
Since women comprise just under 50% of the workforce in the U.S., a 25% usage gap “could result in hundreds of billions of dollars of lost productivity and growth,” according to the researchers’ report, “Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI.”
AI is already transforming positions such as administrative assistants, receptionists and legal clerks — roles disproportionately held by women. While men are likely to change jobs if they’re affected by AI, women are more likely to exit the labor market, according to Brookings Institution, a nonprofit think tank.
Women are going to lose out “unless we focus intentionally on creating policies and programs that help them weather this change,” said Bolis.