A new study finds that women tend to be more cautious about AI than men, largely because they see more risk and fewer guaranteed rewards.
The research, published in the Oxford Academic journal PNAS Nexus, surveyed 3,000 people in the United States and Canada to understand how workers feel about companies using AI.
Across the board, women were more likely than men to believe AI could hurt workers rather than help them.
The researchers say the gap comes down to two main reasons.
First, women generally view economic risks more seriously than men. Second, women are more likely to be exposed to the downsides of AI, such as job loss, unstable income or being pushed into lower-paid roles as technology reshapes workplaces.
To test how much risk matters, the researchers ran an experiment. They showed people different scenarios where AI had a higher or lower chance of improving jobs overall.
When the odds of AI helping workers went down, women’s support for companies using AI dropped much faster than men’s, suggesting that the skepticism isn’t about technology itself, but about whether it actually delivers real benefits.
The study also looked at written responses from participants. Women were more likely to say they were unsure AI would help them personally, and more likely to expect little or no upside from its adoption.
The researchers say the caution makes sense. If AI ends up reinforcing existing inequalities, women may feel the negative effects first and most strongly.
Their conclusion is clear: companies and policymakers need to take women’s concerns seriously when rolling out AI at work. Ignoring these risks could widen pay gaps, increase job insecurity and spark pushback against AI adoption more broadly.
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