Study Finds Women Lawyers More Reluctant Than Male Peers to Use Artificial Intelligence Tools

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have conducted a new study analyzing the difference in use of artificial intelligence technology between men and women lawyers.

For their study, the research team surveyed a sample of 202 legal professionals regarding their use of AI in their work. They found that 47 percent of male respondents reported currently using AI tools for their work, compared to just 17 percent of women. Additionally, 50 percent of the women surveyed stated they were not using and did not plan to use AI in their future work.

The second part of the study asked 91 of the survey respondents to participate in a pilot program which gave them access to paid generative AI tools. The research team asked the pilot participants about their opinions and use of the AI programs during and after the pilot was completed. Upon the conclusion of the pilot, 90 percent of all pilot participants reported increased productivity and 75 percent stated they planned to use AI tools going forward. Despite women legal professionals’ original hesitation towards AI programs, by the trial’s end there was no statistical difference between men and women’s use of AI.

“The participants’ positive experiences support viewing AI technologies as augmenting rather than threatening the work of lawyers,” the authors write. In order to ensure women lawyers are benefiting from AI productivity, the authors suggest legal organizations become more proactive about introducing AI tools and encouraging their professionals to use them.