Women Worry, Men Adopt: How Gendered Perceptions Shape the Use of Generative AI

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is diffusing rapidly, yet its adoption is strikingly unequal. Using nationally representative UK survey data from 2023 to 2024, we show that women adopt GenAI substantially less often than men because they perceive its societal risks differently. We construct a composite index capturing concerns about mental health, privacy, climate impact, and labor market disruption. This index explains between 9 and 18 percent of the variation in GenAI adoption and ranks among the strongest predictors for women across all age groups, surpassing digital literacy and education for young women. Intersectional analyses show that the largest disparities arise among younger, digitally fluent individuals with high societal risk concerns, where gender gaps in personal use exceed 45 percentage points. Using a synthetic twin panel design, we show that increased optimism about AI's societal impact raises GenAI use among young women from 13 percent to 33 percent, substantially narrowing the gender divide. These findings indicate that gendered perceptions of AI's social and ethical consequences, rather than access or capability, are the primary drivers of unequal GenAI adoption, with implications for productivity, skill formation, and economic inequality in an AI enabled economy.