Michelle ThompsonAlthough the AI chatbot ChatGPT boasts over 180 million users, jeweler Harriet Kelsall states that it doesn’t appeal to her.
As someone with dyslexia, she acknowledges that using ChatGPT might potentially enhance the clarity of her communication with customers on her website. However, she emphasizes that she ultimately lacks trust in it.
Based in Cambridge, Ms. Kelsall shared that during her experimentation with ChatGPT this year, she encountered inaccuracies. Her test involved questioning the chatbot about King Charles III’s coronation in May, specifically the St Edward’s Crown he wore.
“I asked ChatGPT to provide me with some information about the crown, just to gauge its response,” she explained. “I have significant knowledge about gemstones in royal crowns, and I noticed significant portions of the text were related to the wrong crown.”
Ms. Kelsall also expressed concerns about individuals accepting ChatGPT’s output as independent thought and potentially using it for plagiarism.
Although ChatGPT has gained immense popularity since its launch a year ago, it seems that more women, like Ms. Kelsall, are hesitant to use it compared to men. A recent survey conducted earlier this year revealed that 54% of men incorporate AI into their professional or personal lives, while this figure drops to just 35% for women.
What factors contribute to this observed gender gap in AI usage, and should it raise concerns?
Currently, ChatGPT boasts a user base of over 180 million people worldwide.
Michelle Leivars, a business coach based in London, expresses her decision not to utilize AI for writing because she values maintaining her unique voice and personality. She believes that her website’s content should resonate authentically with her clients and reflect her personal touch. Clients have even mentioned that they sought her services because her website content felt personalized, not like a generic template, and they could immediately recognize her words as hers.
On the other hand, Hayley Bystram, who operates the matchmaking agency Bowes-Lyon Partnership in London, has resisted the allure of using AI to save time. She prefers to personally meet her clients and match them with compatible individuals without relying on algorithms. While she acknowledges the potential for using tools like ChatGPT to streamline the creation of member profiles, she fears that it would strip away the soul and personalization from the process, making it feel like cheating. Therefore, she continues with the more time-consuming, hands-on approach.
Hayley Bystram believes that utilizing artificial intelligence gives her a sense of “unfair advantage.”
According to Alexandra Coward, a business strategist hailing from Paisley, Scotland, employing AI for content generation is akin to extensive photoshopping. She is particularly alarmed by the increasing trend of individuals using AI to produce images that present them as the slimmest, youngest, and trendiest versions of themselves. Ms. Coward further suggests that we are heading into a future where not only might clients fail to recognize you in person, but you might not even recognize yourself.
While these concerns offer valid reasons to be cautious about AI, AI expert Jodie Cook posits that there are deeper, more rooted causes behind women’s comparatively lower adoption of this technology compared to men. Ms. Cook, the founder of Coachvox.ai, an app enabling business leaders to generate AI representations of themselves, notes that STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) have historically been male-dominated. She points out that the current trends in AI adoption seem to reflect this gender disparity, as AI-related skills are fundamentally rooted in STEM disciplines.
In the United Kingdom, only 24% of the workforce in STEM fields consists of women, and as a result, women may exhibit less confidence when it comes to using AI tools, according to Ms. Cook. She notes that, even though many of these tools don’t necessitate technical expertise, the perception of being less technically skilled among women may discourage them from experimenting with AI. Additionally, AI still carries an aura of science fiction, often marketed towards men in media and popular culture.
Ms. Cook emphasizes the need for more women to both use AI and participate in the AI sector. She’s concerned that as the industry expands, a widening gender gap should be avoided.
However, psychologist Lee Chambers suggests that certain characteristic thinking and behavior patterns that are typically associated with women may hinder some of them from embracing AI. He points out that women often experience a confidence gap, as they tend to seek a high level of proficiency before delving into something, whereas men are more inclined to explore things even with limited expertise.
Psychologist Lee Chambers explains that women may have concerns that utilizing AI could raise questions about their level of competence.
Mr. Chambers also points out that women may have concerns about having their capabilities questioned if they make use of AI tools.
“Women are more likely to face accusations of incompetence, so they often need to emphasize their qualifications more to demonstrate their expertise in a particular field,” he explains. “There could be a perception that if people, particularly as women, are aware that you use AI, it implies that you might not be as qualified as you truly are.
“Women already experience a lack of recognition, and their ideas are sometimes appropriated by men and presented as their own, so people knowing that you use AI might further contribute to the narrative that questions your qualifications. It’s yet another factor that can diminish your skills, your competence, and your worth.”
As Harriet Kelsall puts it, “I place a high value on authenticity and human creativity.”
