Harvard Business School study finds AI gender gap may widen digital divide

A Harvard Business School analysis of 18 studies involving over 140,000 participants worldwide found that women use generative artificial‑intelligence tools considerably less often than men. The disparity appears across countries, professions and even in fields where women are well represented, persisting despite equal access to the technologies.

Experts warn that the gap could deepen a new form of digital divide, giving men who adapt faster to AI tools advantages in the labour market, career progression and wages. Factors cited include women's greater responsibilities outside work limiting time for experimentation, higher caution toward imperfect AI outputs, and long‑standing socialisation that frames technology as a male domain. The researchers stress that without targeted interventions the gender gap in AI adoption may exacerbate existing economic inequalities.