Real talk: the tech world has a serious "confidence gap," and it is giving major overcompensation energy. A new survey of over 5,400 Americans is shining a light on how men and women perceive artificial intelligence, and the results are honestly wild. According to researchers at Harvard, men are highkey more likely to act like they know exactly what’s going on—even when they’re literally making it up. The survey asked people if they recognized certain names in the AI space, like OpenAI’s Sam Altman. But then, they threw in two fake names: Susan Milner and Craig Dalton. Here is where the plot thickens: 53 percent of male respondents claimed they knew who Milner and Dalton were. Spoiler alert: those people do not exist. While women were also asked about these "ghost" execs, they were way more comfortable admitting they didn't know them. The discrepancy isn't just about trolling; it reflects a deeper issue where men feel the need to project absolute certainty, while women are more likely to acknowledge when they're unsure. Laura Manley, executive director of the Shorenstein Center at the Harvard Kennedy School, notes that this overconfidence spills over into everything. Men were found to use AI more often and were generally better at factual trivia, but the "fake it 'til you make it" attitude is a distinct trend. This bias is also showing up in the news cycle. AI coverage is dominated by men, who appear in headlines 14 times more often than women. Even when you filter out CEOs and look only at "subject experts," 75 percent are men—even though women make up about 29 percent of the actual talent pool. Manley thinks we need to shift the culture. "Maybe there should be more women prominently featured as experts or given the platform to express: not sure," she says. Both genders seem to agree that AI is a bit terrifying, with "concern" being the top emotional response for everyone. But women are reportedly more worried, while men are still holding onto that "tech optimism" narrative. At the end of the day, there is so much unknown about AI’s future. Experts say it is time for the industry to stop pretending it has all the answers and start being okay with saying "I don't know." ## Why it matters The tech industry loves a hype man, but this "fake it" culture is actively gatekeeping who gets to be seen as an expert. If we only listen to the people pretending to know everything, we miss out on a more nuanced reality check about what AI can—and cannot—actually do.