AI and Worker Well-Being: Differential Impacts Across Generational Cohorts and Genders

TL;DR

This study examines how AI influences worker well-being across different generations and genders, revealing varied benefits and highlighting demographic disparities in outcomes.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how AI's impact on worker well-being differs by age and gender, based on cross-country survey data.

Findings

AI improves mental health, job enjoyment, and safety for users.

Generation Y benefits most across all well-being dimensions.

Women experience stronger mental health gains from AI.

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between AI use and worker well-being outcomes such as mental health, job enjoyment, and physical health and safety, using microdata from the OECD AI Surveys across seven countries. The results reveal that AI users are significantly more likely to report improvements across all three outcomes, with effects ranging from 8.9% to 21.3%. However, these benefits vary by generation and gender. Generation Y (1981-1996) shows the strongest gains across all dimensions, while Generation X (1965-1980) reports moderate improvements in mental health and job enjoyment. In contrast, Generation Z (1997-2012) benefits only in job enjoyment. As digital natives already familiar with technology, Gen Z workers may not receive additional gains in mental or physical health from AI, though they still experience increased enjoyment from using it. Baby Boomers (born before 1965) experience limited benefits, as they may not find these tools as engaging or useful. Women report stronger mental health gains, whereas men report greater improvements in physical health. These findings suggest that AI's workplace impact is uneven and shaped by demographic factors, career stage, and the nature of workers' roles.