Work

Autistic traits, gender and age interact to influence attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We investigated the influence of neurodiversity on attitudes towards AI and how the effect is moderated by gender and age. Attitudes towards AI, which strongly predict how people engage with the technology, vary widely among individuals. While existing research has primarily focused on the general population, there is an increasing need to explore how specific groups that may benefit in particular from AI, such as autistic people, perceive and interact with it. We administered in a web-based format the Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence Scale to 1062 German-native speakers, comprising people with an autism diagnosis (n = 30), people who self-identified as autistic (n = 117), and non-autistic participants (n = 945). We found that participants with an autism diagnosis reported significantly more positive attitudes toward AI than non-autistic participants. Correlation analyses revealed that greater social difficulties and sensory sensitivities predicted less favourable attitudes toward AI, while other trait dimensions were not significantly associated. Both gender and age moderated these effects: the relationship between autistic traits and AI attitudes was stronger among females than males, and more positive among younger compared to older participants. These results suggest that neurodiversity, gender, and age play crucial roles in shaping AI perceptions.

Source: Computers in Human Behavior Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100847

Authors: Friederike Charlotte Hechler, Outi Tuomainen, Nathan Caruana

Institutions: University of Potsdam, Macquarie University, Flinders University

Language: English

Topic: Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,880