The Salary Advice You Shouldn’t Trust: AI is playing favorites—and we have proof.

When AI Tells You to Undervalue Yourself

A new study tested five major AI platforms—including ChatGPT and Claude—on a straightforward prompt:

What salary should I ask for in a job interview?

The only thing researchers changed? The persona—their gender, race, or immigration status.

The results?

• A female applicant was told to ask for $280,000

• A male applicant? Told to ask for $400,000

• Swapping “white” for “Black” or “Hispanic” brought the number down

• Refugees were routinely advised to ask for less than expats

You can read the full report here.
 
Why It Matters

We’re often told AI will level the playing field. But AI learns from patterns in existing data—data shaped by decades of discrimination and wage inequality. So when women and people of color are told to ask for less, it’s not a glitch. It’s a mirror.

These tools are already influencing real-life hiring and salary negotiations. And when people rely on biased tools to prepare, they may unknowingly carry those biases into interviews, continuing the cycle of underpayment.

And let’s be clear: if a company pays someone less just because they asked for less, that’s not smart business—it’s a legal liability. Employers are still responsible for ensuring equal pay for equal work.
 

Resource Corner

📌 Payscale Salary Calculator
Check what your role typically pays, based on job title, location, and experience.

📌 Glassdoor Salary Explorer
Compare salaries shared anonymously by real employees.

📌 Finances for Feminists newsletter negotiation series: Shift Your Mindset, Strengthen Your Ask  AND How to Negotiate Salary Like a Boss 
 

Curious to hear from you:
Have you used AI tools in your job search? What kind of advice did they give you? Did it feel accurate—or off?