October 7, 2026: Gender bias in the workplace may extend to artificial intelligence, with new research finding that people paid female-presenting AI agents less than male-presenting ones for completing the same tasks.
The study, co-authored by researchers from the University of Limerick and other institutions, placed 189 workers in a virtual-reality office and asked them to complete work-related tasks with different AI assistants.
Participants interacted with human-like AI agents presented with either male or female characteristics, even though the underlying technology and capabilities were the same.
Researchers then gave participants real money to divide between themselves and the AI assistant after completing the tasks.
The results showed that the female-presenting AI agent, Johanna, received 10.25% less than the male-presenting agent, Johan, for the same work. The male-presenting agent was also perceived as more human-like.
Dr Mary Hausfeld of the University of Limerick’s Kemmy Business School said the finding was striking because the AI systems themselves were identical, yet people treated them differently based on how they were presented.
The study suggests that design choices around the appearance and presentation of AI assistants may influence how users judge, trust and financially reward them.
Researchers also found that participants said they had no preference for male or female AI characteristics, even though their actual behaviour showed a difference in treatment.
The research, titled “Human-Like and Male? How AI Assistant Design Relates to Trust and Monetary Reward at Work in VR,” is being presented at the NordiCHI 2026 conference in Finland and published in the ACM conference proceedings.