Science & Tech · AI · 3 hrs ago
Workers gave a female-looking AI assistant 14% less than a male-looking one
Researchers found workers gave a female-looking AI less money than a male-looking version, even though both used the same AI software.
The University of Zurich-led team tested 189 knowledge workers in a virtual office, where they discussed workplace ideas with different AI assistants.
Participants could give each assistant up to four Swiss francs, and the money they kept was theirs to keep.
Among the 159 people included in the money analysis, the female-presenting assistant received an average of 2.54 francs, compared with 2.96 for the male-presenting assistant—about 14% less.
Participants rated the female-presenting assistant as less human-like, but their trust in the two assistants was similar.
Human-like assistants also received more money than a desk robot, suggesting appearance can affect how people value AI work.
The study used just one male and one female design, so it cannot show how much of the difference was caused by gender itself.
Workers gave a female-presenting AI assistant about 14% less money than a male-presenting assistant in a virtual reality experiment.
The two assistants used the same OpenAI language model and were designed to look as alike as possible.
Participants gave the female-presenting assistant an average of 2.54 Swiss francs, compared with 2.96 francs for the male-presenting assistant.
The study involved 189 knowledge workers, but the money analysis included 159 participants.
Researchers presented the study at the NordiCHI ’26 conference in Vaasa, Finland.
- Who
- Researchers led by Isabelle Cuber at the University of Zurich, with colleagues from the University of Limerick and SKEMA Business School. The experiment involved 189 knowledge workers.
- What
- Participants gave the female-presenting assistant about 14% less money than the male-presenting assistant, despite both using the same language model.
- When
- The study was presented the week of October 17, 2026.
- Where
- The experiment took place in a virtual office using virtual reality headsets. The study was presented in Vaasa, Finland.
- Why
- The researchers examined whether an AI assistant’s appearance affects how people value and treat its work.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Participants worked with AI assistants in a virtual office and could give each one up to 4 Swiss francs.
Researchers presented the study at the NordiCHI ’26 conference in Vaasa, Finland.
- Participants recruited
- 189 knowledge workers aged 18 to 64
- Money analysis
- 159 participants
- Male-presenting assistant
- Johan received an average of 2.96 Swiss francs
- Female-presenting assistant
- Johanna received an average of 2.54 Swiss francs
- Difference in money given
- About 14% less for Johanna
- Conference
- NordiCHI ’26, Vaasa, Finland
What people are saying
The robot seemed like a toy and it didn’t feel confident in the answers