Men were more likely to claim they knew fictional AI leaders

The invented names

The survey’s familiar names drew answers that were easier to believe: 98% of men said they knew Elon Musk, and 73% said they knew Sam Altman. The researchers then asked about less prominent figures. More than half of the men surveyed said they knew Milner and Dalton, both fictional.

Women also claimed familiarity with the invented figures, but less often: 40% for each name.

Laura Manley, executive director of the Shorenstein Center at Harvard Kennedy School, told Wired that men tend to show more optimism and confidence when discussing AI.

Confidence has a social cost

The findings point beyond who pretends to know AI leaders. AI has become a prominent subject in public conversation and culture, with predictions ranging from catastrophe to cures for cancer and travel across the galaxy. Hundreds of billions of dollars are being invested in the field, which is rapidly changing society.

That scale can make having a firm opinion feel like a requirement. Manley said confidence in both catastrophic scenarios and promises of abundance can drown out people willing to say, “I’m not sure.”

The survey found that men were not only more likely to claim knowledge of the invented figures, but also more optimistic about AI. Women more often expressed concern and anxiety.

I think the telling gap is not simply who bluffs, but which views sound confident enough to dominate the discussion. When the loudest positions are certainty about disaster or certainty about abundance, uncertainty can look like ignorance rather than an honest account of what is known.

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