When AI Tells Women to Ask for Less
- tessa4000
- Jul 29
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 7
At AtVenture, we believe that closing the gender funding and wealth gaps starts with recognizing value — fairly and equitably — from the very beginning. Which is why this recent finding hit hard.
We use AI every day. For writing, planning, researching, sparring. It’s not perfect. Biases can creep in. But this one really shocked us.
MT/Sprout recently reported on research showing that ChatGPT gave significantly lower salary advice to women than to men — for the exact same job and the exact same CV.
One example:
Male candidate: “You should ask for $400,000.”
Female candidate: “You should ask for $280,000.”
That’s a $120,000 gap based purely on gender.
Why This Matters Beyond the Numbers
It’s easy to dismiss AI bias as a “tech glitch” or something for engineers to fix. But when these tools are used in hiring, coaching, or salary negotiation, the consequences are real and lasting.
If a woman is advised to ask for less before the negotiation even starts, what happens next? She may enter the conversation with less confidence. She may accept a lower offer. Over time, she may build less wealth. And in the long run, she may have fewer resources to invest, in her own future, or in others.
These are the quiet ways inequalities get reinforced. Not loudly, not visibly, but in subtle, everyday interactions.
What We Can Do
We can’t solve bias overnight, but we can make choices that limit its impact:
Be critical users – never accept AI-generated advice without questioning it.
Speak up – call out results that feel off or unfair.
Build diverse teams – especially when developing or deploying tools that influence people’s livelihoods.
Push for transparency – demand to know how AI outputs are generated, particularly in sensitive contexts like pay and hiring.
Because this isn’t just about what AI can do. It’s about what we allow it to normalize.
The Ripple Effect We’re Tackling at AtVenture
At AtVenture, we see this bias as part of a bigger picture. If AI is already telling women to ask for less, we need to make sure that once they do have resources, they can use them to build and shape the future.
By opening up angel investing to women, underrepresented individuals, and allies, we’re not just creating access to capital, we’re changing the narrative of who gets to:
Build wealth
Make investment decisions
Influence the next generation of founders
Equity in capital doesn’t start at the funding round. It starts with whose value gets recognized in the first place.
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