AI may be widening gender disparity in research

After the launch of ChatGPT, male researchers’ productivity rate increased, pointing to a gender difference in how scientists use AI. Previous work has shown that men are more likely to use generative AI in their work than women.

Published in PNAS Nexus, Shaobo Li and colleagues analyzed preprints uploaded to the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), one of the largest open-access repositories in the world, from May 2022 to June 2023. ChatGPT was released in late November 2022.

After the release of ChatGPT, the productivity of male researchers significantly increased relative to that of female researchers, with the probability of them posting a preprint each month 6.4% higher than for female researchers. Countries where ChatGPT has higher penetration showed a more pronounced gender disparity than countries where ChatGPT is seldom used.

In a separate survey of 400 researchers reached through Qualtrics, female researchers, on average, spent less time using AI and were less likely to perceive the tool as improving their efficiency than male researchers. According to the authors, generative AI exacerbates gender-based productivity disparities, and institutions should factor such disparities into their faculty evaluations. Moreover, the authors identify a need for more training opportunities for researchers to learn to use generative AI.