Women Tend to Mistrust AI More: Reasons and Effects 

Opinions on AI range from treating it as the best thing since sliced bread to seeing it as a factor that could lead to humanity’s demise. Regardless, harnessing and embracing AI opportunities seems inescapable, with more and more companies requiring AI skills from candidates and current employees. However, women seem to be taking it more slowly, questioning whether AI is ethical to use and generally being more reluctant to integrate it into their workflows. So, what do studies suggest about women’s relationship to AI, and what conclusions can be drawn from them? 

Women tend to resist AI more than men

If you have recently attended an industry conference, AI is likely the biggest topic across presentations. Specialists adapt to the opportunities AI presents and aim to take advantage of it wherever they can. However, a Harvard Business School study suggests women are far more reluctant to use AI than their male colleagues; specifically, the research claims women adopt AI at a 25% lower rate. 

The biggest factors in women’s hesitation to embrace AI are concerns about ethical use and whether they will be judged and criticized for using it in their work. While these considerations should persist across industries, concerns originating mostly from women suggest potential consequences, such as their ability to keep pace with others in the industry. 

AI as an unstoppable force

To a degree, anyone can reject AI and continue working as they did before this major innovation. However, employer pressure, harsher deadlines as they expect mostly AI-supported work, and broader changes in industry needs are overwhelming. For example, whether you like or dislike AI, there’s no way around addressing areas that have emerged as a result of its emergence. 

One such field is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), which essentially mimics the goals of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). However, GEO mostly focuses on optimizing content for AI assistants so they can easily retrieve and cite information. Thus, even if you have no particular interest in AI, adapting to these new customer habits is essential. 

People could limit their approach by manually asking AI assistants relevant questions and seeing whether their products, services, or general content ranks. However, more AI-accepting people know that tools like Trendos automatically gather details on how a particular website performs in the most popular AI assistants. So, while it can be about people generally willing to work with AI, it’s also about leaping so you don’t fall behind in the industry. 

So, if women are less willing to embrace AI, it could affect their standing as specialists in their field and hinder their current or future career opportunities. 

Potential effects on women’s careers 

As mentioned before, women’s hesitation to experiment and embrace AI can have unfortunate effects on their careers. For one, they are less likely to match candidates who have already worked with AI for quite some time. After all, studies show that job listings mentioning AI increased by 4.2% in 2026, and that number will likely rise further in the next couple of years. 

Also, as industries lock in on AI, women may struggle to improve in the most relevant areas. Another crucial downside is that AI might learn less from women than from men. As a result, AI may not consider women’s opinions and habits.

How to feel more comfortable using AI

Deciding whether to use AI is no longer a decision. In many industries, people need to adopt it to survive and avoid falling behind. However, feeling uncomfortable is understandable, and you can work through these concerns. For one, your goal should be to learn how to use AI at least in professional settings. Treat it as an assistant without relying on it too much, especially if you’re afraid its use will dull your skills. 

After all, many people already report feeling slightly confused whenever they need to use a regular search engine instead of an AI assistant. In other cases, people who write emails for a living may now struggle to work as efficiently without AI. Overall, it might not be the answer people concerned with AI are looking for, but taking a stand here could hurt future job prospects. 

Conclusion

All in all, adopting AI in your work may not be your preferred course of action, but most specialists cannot afford to avoid it. Additionally, if women are less likely to use and embrace AI, it raises concerns about losing unique perspectives from female users and potentially hurting their careers.