Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is diffusing rapidly, yet its adoption is strikingly unequal. Using nationally representative UK survey data from 2023 to 2024, we show that women adopt GenAI substantially less often than men because they perceive its societal risks differently. We construct a composite index capturing concerns about mental health, privacy, climate impact, and labor market disruption. This index explains between 9 and 18 percent of the variation in GenAI adoption and ranks among the strongest predictors for women across all age groups, surpassing digital literacy and education for young women. Intersectional analyses show that the largest disparities arise among younger, digitally fluent individuals with high societal risk concerns, where gender gaps in personal use exceed 45 percentage points. Using a synthetic twin panel design, we show that increased optimism about AI's societal impact raises GenAI use among young women from 13 percent to 33 percent, substantially narrowing the gender divide. These findings indicate that gendered perceptions of AI's social and ethical consequences, rather than access or capability, are the primary drivers of unequal GenAI adoption, with implications for productivity, skill formation, and economic inequality in an AI enabled economy.

翻译：生成式人工智能（GenAI）正在快速普及，但其采用率却存在显著的不平等。基于2023年至2024年英国全国代表性调查数据，我们发现女性采用GenAI的频率远低于男性，原因在于她们对其社会风险的认知存在差异。我们构建了一个综合指数，用以衡量对心理健康、隐私、气候影响和劳动力市场扰动的担忧程度。该指数解释了GenAI采用率变异的9%至18%，并且是所有年龄段女性中最强的预测因素之一，对于年轻女性而言，其预测力甚至超过了数字素养和教育水平。交叉分析表明，最大的差异出现在那些年轻、数字素养高且社会风险担忧程度高的群体中，其个人使用率的性别差距超过45个百分点。通过采用合成双胞胎面板设计，我们发现，对人工智能社会影响的乐观态度增强，能使年轻女性的GenAI使用率从13%提升至33%，从而显著缩小性别鸿沟。这些研究结果表明，对人工智能社会与伦理后果的性别化认知，而非获取途径或能力差异，是导致GenAI采用不平等的首要驱动因素，这对人工智能赋能经济中的生产力、技能形成和经济不平等具有重要影响。