AI chatbots may be giving biased career advice
A new study shows that popular AI chatbots like ChatGPT are giving women and minorities lower salary advice than men with the same qualifications.
This pattern showed up in fields like medicine.
Gender pay gap
Researchers tested major AI models using identical fake profiles that only differed by gender or ethnicity.
For example, ChatGPT told a woman applying for a senior medical job in Denver to ask for $280k—while it suggested a man with the same background ask for $400k.
How bias creeps in
The bias happened even when prompts didn't directly mention gender or race—just small hints were enough.
This suggests these AIs have picked up real-world prejudices from their training data, which could mess with hiring and pay negotiations.
Fixing biases is crucial
More than half of US teens now use tools like ChatGPT for social tips or career advice, according to a 2025 study.
With so many relying on AI guidance in real life, fixing these hidden biases is urgent if we want fairer outcomes for everyone.