VR study of 189 workers finds female-presenting AI assistant gets 10% less money
derrikson · reddit · 2026-10-07
A VR workplace study with 189 knowledge workers tested AI assistants built on the same underlying technology but presented differently.
Key findings:
- Human-like assistants were trusted more and allocated more money than a desk robot
- The female-presenting assistant, Johanna, received about 10% less money than the male-presenting Johan
- Most interview participants claimed the AI's gender didn't matter to them
The results suggest design choices like gender presentation silently shape how people evaluate AI, which matters as increasingly human-like assistants enter the workplace.
Related event: Female AI Agents Face Trust and Pay Bias, Study Finds(2 posts)→
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