Researchers from Cornell University have recently discovered that including a female-sounding AI Chatbot in workplace projects could be a potential method for increasing productivity and participation among women employees in male-dominated teams.
Previous studies on organizational culture have found teammates from underrepresented backgrounds have higher performances when working with teammates of a similar background. The new study from Cornell University suggests introducing AI programming that aligns with a minority teammate’s background can have the same result.
For their study, the authors recruited 180 men and women and assigned them into groups of three to work virtually on a variety of tasks. Each group had either one man or one woman participant, ensuring that there was a gender-imbalance among all test groups. Additionally, every group had a fourth teammate in the form of an AI chatbot with either a man or woman’s voice. Upon completing their set of tasks, each participant was asked about their experiences, as well as feelings of inclusivity among their human and AI teammates.
The results showed that in male-dominated groups, women were more likely to participate if their AI teammate had a woman’s voice and were more likely to report positive team interactions. In comparison, men in woman-dominated groups were more talkative but less focused on tasks when interacting with a male-sounding virtual assistant. Surprisingly, the majority of participants did not report a preference in the gender of their AI teammate’s voice, suggesting the influence of a gendered AI voice is on a subconscious level.
The authors believe their findings can offer a quick solution for making women feel more comfortable in the workplace. As the hiring process for human employees can take long periods of time, introducing an AI bot with a woman’s voice can potentially improve team dynamics in the short-term.