US gender gap in chatbot adoption closes, research finds

Men and women in the United States now report using AI chatbots at nearly identical rates, ending a sizable adoption gap measured two years earlier. Monica Anderson and Eugenie Park write for Pew Research Center that 49% of men and 47% of women say they have used chatbots such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Microsoft Copilot.

In 2024, 39% of men and 28% of women said they had used chatbots. The earlier question, however, was asked only of people who had heard at least a little about the technology, which affects direct comparisons.

Pew’s findings show that equal overall adoption does not mean equal habits. Men are more likely to use chatbots daily, use several leading services, and see the tools as beneficial to their productivity. Women express more concern about AI’s personal and social effects.

ChatGPT reaches men and women equally

ChatGPT is the most widely used chatbot in Pew’s survey and has the same reported use rate among men and women: 44%. Other services show clearer gender differences. Men are more likely to say they have used Gemini, Copilot, Grok, and Claude. For example, 29% of men report using Gemini, compared with 20% of women.

Meta AI is the exception among the named tools. Fifteen percent of women say they have used it, compared with 13% of men.

Frequency also differs. Twenty seven percent of men say they use chatbots every day, versus 20% of women. Men also report higher use for several common purposes:

• Searching for information: 45% of men and 39% of women.
• Work tasks among employed adults: 40% of men and 35% of women.
• Fun or entertainment: 28% of men and 22% of women.
• Getting news: 15% of men and 12% of women.

Women are somewhat more likely to use chatbots for emotional support or advice, at 11% compared with 8% of men. Both groups report the same rate of chatbot use for companionship, at 4%. Pew finds little or no gender difference in using the tools for image or video creation, medical advice, or diet and fitness information.

Men report more confidence and optimism

The survey points to a wider divide in attitudes toward AI. Thirty five percent of men say chatbots help their productivity, compared with 25% of women. Differences are smaller on whether chatbots help knowledge, creativity, happiness, or personal relationships.

Women are more pessimistic about AI’s future impact. Thirty three percent expect AI to affect them personally in a negative way over the next 20 years, while 17% expect a positive effect. Among men, 29% anticipate a positive personal impact and 27% a negative one.

Views of AI’s effects on society are negative overall. Forty three percent of women expect a negative impact, against 11% who expect a positive one. Among men, 36% expect a negative societal impact and 22% expect a positive one.

Women are also more likely to say AI is advancing too quickly, 68% versus 58% of men. Men report greater familiarity and confidence: 48% say they have heard a lot about chatbots, compared with 38% of women, while 22% say they are very or extremely confident using them, compared with 15% of women.

Pew surveyed 5,119 US adults in February through its American Trends Panel. The results suggest that chatbot access has become broadly shared, while regular use, confidence, and expectations about AI remain divided by gender.