Fewer Women Adopt AI Tools—Here’s Why That Matters For Business

Fewer women are adopting AI, even as generative AI tools like ChatGPT are rapidly transforming how work gets done. The adoption gap may leave women behind, exacerbating the AI leadership crisis and limiting firms’ ability to fully leverage GenAI’s productivity potential.

GenAI tools significantly enhance productivity. Software engineers, for example, code twice as fast using AI-assisted platforms. College-educated professionals typically spend 27 minutes on tasks like writing press releases, but can save up to 17 minutes when using ChatGPT, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology experiment.

Women Less Likely To Adopt AI Tools

However, for every 100 men using GenAI tools, only 78 women do—even after accounting for usage differences due to jobs, age and education—according to a Harvard analysis of 140,000+ individuals worldwide.

The gap is significant and persistent. Women comprised just 42% of ChatGPT users between November 2022 and May 2024. On Claude, women made up 38% of users at the time of writing.

Men are also more likely to use these tools often. For instance, men are nearly twice as likely as women to report using tools like ChatGPT more than once a week, while women are far more likely to report not using such tools at all, according to the latest survey of Consumer Expectations by Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Barriers To Women’s Adoption Of AI Tools

Women are less sure about AI’s role in their professional success. Only 36% of women, compared to 45% of men, believe GenAI tools can advance their careers, according to global online learning platform Coursera. That number may be higher among professional women: more than half (55%) say they believed that GenAI skills could help their progress at work, a survey commissioned by Amazon Web Services found.

Lack of clarity around authorized AI usage, combined with women’s greater proclivity for following the rules, may contribute to the gender disparity. Just 10% of educators say their district has clearly communicated policies on using AI tools, while 60% either somewhat or completely disagree, according to a survey by EducationWeek’s Research Center. That ambiguity may help explain why just 30% of female teachers, who make up most of the teaching workforce, say they’ve used AI.

Another factor could be lower trust in AI. A Pew Research Center survey published earlier this month found that women are twice as likely to be “concerned,” instead of excited, about the use of AI in daily life compared to male colleagues. Women are also on the receiving end of AI-amplified discrimination, as algorithms trained on biased data tend to reproduce existing gender inequalities, for example in hiring.

Business Risks Of Gender Gap In AI Tool Adoption

As AI tools become crucial for productivity and success, especially in high-impact tasks—like data analysis, strategic planning and content generation—those who fail to adopt them risk being left behind in promotions, leadership pipelines and critical decision-making roles.

This isn’t just a representation and gender equity issue—it’s a business problem. Given projections by Vanguard that generative AI could boost U.S. productivity by 20% within a decade, this gender gap represents “hundreds-of-billions of dollars of lost productivity and growth in the U.S. alone,” the above-mentioned Harvard study concurs.

Getting More Women to Adopt AI Tools

Here are five ways organizations can encourage broader GenAI use among women:

Low-pressure Training

Many women are less familiar with AI tools, which can deter experimentation. Offering short, no-pressure sessions—like lunchtime demos or peer-led tutorials—can reduce intimidation. For example, Slack used a 3-week, 10-minute-a-day approach that promotes adoption without overwhelming users. Framing AI as a support tool, not a replacement can help build confidence and incite curiosity.

Tie To Productivity At Work

Time constraints make it hard to spend time outside of work to learn about AI. That’s why AI training should focus on real tasks—writing reports, summarizing meetings, writing emails. Seeing how AI helps save time on what they already do may make women more likely to try and to adopt AI tools.

Discuss Tools’ Trustworthiness

Women tend to be more cautious about AI’s fairness and accuracy. Organizations should lean into those concerns—explaining how AI works, where it falls short and how to use it responsibly. Building trust encourages more thoughtful and confident use.

Clarify What’s Allowed

Uncertainty about what’s permitted can deter experimentation—especially among women, who are more likely to follow formal rules. Companies should spell out which tools are approved, what data can be shared, and how to request new ones. Clear policies make it easier—and safer—for more people to try AI.

Show How AI Supports Career Growth

Women are less likely to believe AI tools will advance their careers. Spotlighting real examples of how AI skills creates opportunities can shift that mindset. Highlighting role models, success stories, and career wins powered by AI can help women see the link between everyday use and professional growth.

As GenAI reshapes how work gets done, women’s lesser adoption of AI tools undermines not just inclusion goals aimed at boosting women’s careers. It also has consequences for core business outcomes. Organizations serious about leveraging AI for competitive advantage can’t afford to ignore who’s not using it.

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