Professional roles, gender, and attitudes toward generative AI: evidence from Japan

This study examines how professional roles and gender are associated with attitudes toward generative artificial intelligence (GAI). Drawing on theories of occupational identity, we hypothesize that perceptions of GAI differ across occupations and between men and women within the same occupation. Using a large-scale survey of 3,433 respondents conducted in Japan in early 2024, we examine attitudes toward generative AI across occupational groups and gender. The large sample enables statistically reliable comparisons of attitudes across occupations. Respondents answered 14 questions concerning various aspects of GAI, including its role in decision-making, document production, human learning, and the replacement of human labor. Regression results indicate substantial heterogeneity in attitudes toward GAI across occupational groups. Managers and ordinary employees generally express more favorable attitudes toward GAI, whereas teachers are more likely to emphasize the continued importance of human judgment and learning. Female managers and female ordinary employees express less favorable attitudes toward GAI than their male counterparts, whereas female teachers show the opposite pattern.