Women are more likely than men to view AI as risky when economic outcomes are uncertain, according to a Northeastern University study of roughly 3,000 respondents in the U.S. and Canada published in PNAS Nexus. The researchers found women were about 11% more likely to say AI’s risks outweigh its benefits, a gap driven by higher risk aversion and greater perceived exposure to harms such as job loss and bias. Notably, the gender divide disappeared when AI’s employment gains were guaranteed, pointing to aversion to uncertainty rather than AI per se. The findings carry implications for corporate adoption of AI, workforce training, and policy design aimed at mitigating inequality and building public support.
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