Gender Differences in AI Literacy Workshop Outcomes and Deepfake Engagement

Examines gender differences in AI literacy, safety awareness, and STEM career aspirations among Australian secondary students (Years 7, 8, 10; N=199) from two co-educational government schools after a one-day AI literacy workshop. Male students reported higher STEM career interest; female students were more likely to use AI for schoolwork and seek AI advice. Males were more likely to have created deepfake content. Both genders improved post-intervention, but females showed richer gains: wider conceptual understanding, greater confidence, and increased AI/CS career interest partially narrowing the gender gap.

Single-day AI literacy workshops partially narrow gender STEM gaps; males need targeted deepfake safety education.

Key Findings

Pre-workshop, male students reported significantly higher STEM career interest across all three domains measured (AI, computer science, and engineering), controlling for year level and school.

Female students were significantly more likely to use AI for schoolwork and to seek advice from AI tools.

Gender-differentiated patterns emerged in deepfake behavior: males were significantly more likely to have created or shared deepfake content.

Both genders improved in AI knowledge after the one-day workshop, but females showed a richer profile of gains: wider conceptual understanding, greater confidence, and meaningful increases in AI and computer science career interest that partially narrowed the gender STEM gap.

The authors conclude that even single-day workshops can narrow gender gaps in STEM aspirations and AI confidence, and highlight the need for deepfake safety education targeted at male students.

Study Design & Method

The study surveyed Australian secondary students in Years 7, 8, and 10 (Npre = 199, Npost = 136) from two co-educational government schools who participated in a one-day AI literacy workshop. Statistical regression methods controlling for year level and school were used to examine gender differences in AI literacy, safety awareness, and STEM career aspirations before and after the intervention.

Implications for AI in Education

For K 12 AI Literacy curricula, the findings support gender-responsive curriculum design: engagement patterns differ by gender before instruction — females already using AI for schoolwork, males more engaged with deepfake content — so safety education and career aspiration support should be differentiated rather than uniform. The partial narrowing of the STEM career gap after a single-day intervention suggests short, well-designed workshops can be an effective Equity lever in STEM Education, while the deepfake findings point to a concrete safety target for male students.

Connected Concepts

AI Literacy

Administrator

Teacher AI Competency

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Citation

Jake Renzella, Christian Bergh, Natasha Banks, Alexandra Vassar (2026). Gender Differences in AI Literacy Workshop Outcomes and Deepfake Engagement. arXiv:2606.14718. arXiv preprint.