A new report from Pew Research Center reveals insights into how men and women use artificial intelligence, as well as their viewpoints on the technology’s future.
As of 2026, men and women are almost equally likely to say they use AI chatbots (50 percent versus 47 percent). Use of AI chatbots has increased for all U.S. adults over the past two years, but women saw a steeper increase than men. In 2024, 39 percent of men and only 28 percent of women said they have previously used an AI chatbot. Notably, a higher share of men than women say they use chatbots regularly (27 percent versus 20 percent).
Among specific chatbots, both men and women are most likely to use ChatGPT, with 44 percent of both groups reporting using the platform. Men are more likely to use Gemini, Copilot, Grok, Claude, and Character.ai, while women are slightly more likely to use Meta AI.
When asked why they use chatbots, both men and women were most likely to say they use the technology to search for information (45 percent and 39 percent) and for tasks at work (40 percent and 35 percent). In several categories, men are slightly more likely than women to say they use chatbots, including for fun or entertainment, to create or edit images and videos, to get medical advice, to get diet or fitness information, and to get news. Women were slightly more likely to say they use chatbots for emotional support or advice. Only 4 percent of both men and women say they use chatbots for companionship.
Men are overall more likely than women to say chatbots are helpful in several areas of life. More than a third of men say chatbots help their productivity, compared to a quarter of women. Men are slightly more likely to say chatbots help with how informed they are, their creativity, and their happiness. About 6 percent of both men and women say chatbots help their relationships.
Beyond chatbots, women and men differ in their usage of some other AI technologies. Some 40 percent of women say they have a smartwatch, compared to 34 percent of men. Larger shares of men say they read AI summaries that appear at the top of search engine results, compared to women (63 percent versus 57 percent). But there is little or no gender difference in having other devices that use AI, such as smart speakers, robot vacuums, thermostats, or doorbells.
Despite the closing gap in chatbot usage, women remain more skeptical than men about the future of AI. When asked if they think the impact of AI on themselves over the next 20 years will be positive or negative, a third of women and 27 percent of men said it would be negative, while 17 percent of women and 29 percent of men said it would be positive. Both men and women are more wary about AI’s impact on society than its impact in their own personal lives. Some 43 percent of women and 36 percent of men say AI’s impact on society will be negative over the next 20 years. More than a fifth of men say it will have a positive impact on society, compared to just 11 percent of women.
Women are also more likely to think AI is advancing too quickly. Some 68 percent of women hold this opinion, compared to 58 percent of men. Only 1 percent of women and 3 percent of men say AI is advancing too slowly.
Men and women also differ in their familiarity and confidence in using AI. About four-in-ten women say they have heard a lot about AI, compared to 55 percent of men. Over a fifth of men say they are extremely or very confident using chatbots, compared to 15 percent of women.