Canadian women report greater anxiety over AI at work

New Canadian survey data shows a gender gap in how workers feel about using artificial intelligence tools. Women are more likely than men to report anxiety, confusion, and concern about potential negative consequences at work.

The 2026 Women and AI in the Workplace Report, produced by Monday Girl with research fielded through the Angus Reid Forum, found that 64% of Canadians used AI in the past year. Usage was higher among men than women, at 68% versus 61%.

The report also highlighted a gap between uptake and confidence. Among people who use AI tools, 46% of women said they were concerned about negative consequences from using AI at work, compared with 40% of men.

Confidence gap

Women reported lower confidence and comfort with AI tools than men. Just over one-third of women (36%) said they felt confident using AI tools, compared with 52% of men.

On comfort, 39% of women said they felt comfortable using AI tools, versus 53% of men.

The findings also suggest that unease can show up as intimidation or confusion. Nearly half of women (47%) said they felt intimidated by AI tools, compared with 33% of men.

On confusion, 45% of women said they felt confused when using AI tools. Among men, 37% reported the same.

Age differences

AI use varied sharply by age. Reported use was highest among 18- to 34-year-olds (77%), followed by 35- to 54-year-olds (72%). Among Canadians aged 55 or older, reported use was 50%.

Older respondents also reported lower confidence and comfort. Among those over 55, 30% said they felt confident using AI tools and 35% said they felt comfortable.

The report found particularly high concern among younger workers using AI in their jobs. Among Gen Z, 53% said they were concerned about negative consequences from AI use at work.

Education and income

AI use was higher among Canadians with more education and higher household incomes. Reported usage was 75% among university-educated respondents and 73% among those with high household incomes.

This pattern aligns with broader technology-adoption trends, where familiarity and access often correlate with training and workplace exposure. The results also suggest that access does not translate evenly into confidence across gender and age groups.

Regional picture

Levels of concern about negative consequences from using AI at work varied by province. Ontario respondents reported the highest level of concern, at 46%.

The report did not detail the drivers behind provincial differences, but placed the Ontario result within the broader national pattern of varying comfort and confidence with AI tools.

Workplace implications

AI tools have spread rapidly across office work, customer service, marketing, software development, and other professional roles. Many organisations now encourage staff to use AI for drafting text, summarising documents, preparing presentations, or generating code. The survey suggests workplace expectations may be moving faster than employees' sense of readiness, particularly among women and older workers.

The data also points to a perception risk around AI use in professional settings. Workers may worry about how managers and peers will judge AI-assisted output, and may be unsure about internal rules, data privacy, accuracy, and accountability for errors. These concerns are not evenly distributed across the workforce.

Monday Girl, a networking platform focused on women's careers, plans to discuss the research themes at its Toronto Summit in 2026. The event is expected to include speakers from business, media, finance, and technology, including Erin Elofson, President of Mastercard Canada, and Lisa Everett, National AI Skills Director (Canada) at Microsoft Elevate.

Sponsors for the summit include National Bank, Mastercard Canada, Fairmont Royal York, and Toronto Star.

Rachel Wong and Istiana Bestari, co-founders of Monday Girl, linked the findings to access and workplace environment.

"Women aren't lacking ability; they're lacking access. Access to tools, training, and environments where they're encouraged to experiment and take risks. These findings confirm what we've heard from our community for years," said Wong and Bestari. "We built Monday Girl because we needed it ourselves, and the Toronto Summit exists for the same reason. It's where the conversation gets real, the connections stick, and women leave genuinely better equipped to go after what they want."

The survey was conducted among 1,502 adult Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum, with online interviews carried out in English and French.