Since the acceleration of artificial intelligence (AI) across the globe, women have often found themselves bearing the brunt of its consequences.
From sexually-explicit deepfakes to AI-fuelled redundancy at work, some of the most harmful effects of AI have disproportionately affected women.
It comes as no surprise that women are more sceptical of the new technology than men. Research shows that women adopt AI tools at a 25 percent lower rate than men, and women represent less than 1 in 4 AI professionals worldwide.
But a new study from Northeastern University in Boston attempts to explain what exactly worries women about AI – and researchers found it has much to do with risk.
Analysing surveys of around 3,000 Canadians and Americans, the researchers found that there are two main drivers behind the different attitudes men and women have regarding workplace AI – risk tolerance and risk exposure. Their findings were publishedthis month in the journal PNAS Nexus.
Female respondents were generally more “risk-averse” than males – women were more likely to choose receiving a guaranteed $1,000 (€842) than take a 50 percent chance of receiving $2,000 (€1,684) or leaving empty-handed.
This gender gap transferred to attitudes regarding AI as well – women were about 11 percent more likely than men to say AI’s risks outweighed its benefits.
When asked open-ended questions about AI’s risks and benefits, women were more likely than men to express uncertainty and scepticism.
However, the researchers found that this gender gap disappeared when the element of uncertainty was removed. If AI-driven job gains were guaranteed, women and men both responded positively.
Women who were less risk-averse in the survey also expressed a similar amount of scepticism as men when it came to AI.
“Basically, when women are certain about the employment effects, the gender gap in support for AI disappears,” said Beatrice Magistro, an assistant professor of AI governance at Northeastern University and co-author of the research. “So it really seems to be about aversion to uncertainty.”
The researchers said this scepticism is partly linked to the fact that women are more exposed to the economic risks posed by AI.
“Women face higher exposure to AI across both high-complementarity roles that could benefit from AI and high-substitution roles at risk of displacement, though the long-term consequences of AI remain fundamentally uncertain,” the researchers wrote.
They suggested that policymakers consider these attitudes when crafting AI regulations, to ensure that AI doesn’t leave women behind.
“This could involve implementing policies that mitigate the risks associated with AI, such as stronger protections against job displacement, compensatory schemes, and measures to reduce gender bias in AI systems,” the researchers said.
