Major U.S. industries, including Hollywood and Big Tech, are emphasizing AI workflow tools, leading to employee performance evaluations based on AI fluency. Despite the push for adoption, many employees resist using AI, primarily due to the 'competence penalty.' This bias results in AI users being perceived as less competent, particularly impacting women in technical roles. A study at a unnamed tech company showed that only 41% of engineers used a provided AI coding assistant, with significant adoption disparities based on age and gender. The company had offered resources, training, and incentives to encourage usage.
The 'competence penalty' leads to AI users being perceived as less competent by peers, impacting their willingness to adopt AI tools, especially among women in technical roles.
In a recent study at a leading tech company, despite the availability of a promising AI coding assistant, only 41% of engineers had even attempted to use it.
Adoption rates of the AI tool varied notably with age and gender, showing just 39% of engineers over 40 and only 31% of female engineers had utilized it.
The company provided extensive resources for AI tool adoption, including dedicated teams, incentives, and training, yet the uptake remained low.
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