Study Reveals Gender Bias in AI Agents, Female-Presenting AI Paid Less in Virtual Workplace
A study conducted by the University of Limerick (UL) has found that gender bias prevalent in human workplaces can be replicated in interactions with artificial intelligence. Researchers placed 189 workers in a virtual reality office to complete tasks with AI assistants, some presented with male attributes (Johan) and others with female attributes (Johanna), despite having identical underlying technology. The study revealed that participants paid female-presenting AI agents less than their male counterparts for the same work, with Johanna receiving 10.25% less than Johan. The male agent was also perceived as more human-like. Dr. Mary Hausfeld, co-author of the study, emphasized that while AI is often considered neutral, the design and presentation of these systems can activate existing human biases, raising concerns about inadvertently reproducing inequalities in new technological settings.
