Women are falling behind on AI adoption, and former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg knows it. That’s why she’s refocusing her women’s leadership nonprofit, Lean In, on closing the AI gender gap — and installing a 25-year-old to lead the charge.
A new survey of 1,000 U.S. adults from Lean In found that 33% of men use AI daily, compared to 27% of women. While the gap is closing, even small differences could have outsized impacts over time, Sandberg told Fortune.
“We all know that AI is already starting to, and has the power to transform how we work, who’s in the workforce, how we live, how we communicate,” Sandberg said.
On March 24, Sandberg announced Bridget Griswold, a 25-year-old former Meta product manager, as the new CEO of Lean In. Despite public criticism of Griswold’s age and limited nonprofit experience, Sandberg said the nonprofit was looking for an “AI native” with a product background — and Griswold fit the bill.
The appointment comes amid turbulence: the Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation, which includes Lean In, shed a quarter of its staff over the last year through layoffs and voluntary departures, The Wall Street Journal recently reported.
Lean In’s pivot to AI comes as only half of companies are prioritizing women’s career advancement, and more than 30% are placing little to no priority on advancing women of color, according to the organization’s 2025 Women in the Workplace report. Women’s jobs are three times more likely to be automated by AI — and their vulnerability is compounded by underrepresentation in AI leadership and development.
Women are more likely than men to feel threatened, overwhelmed, and like they’re “cheating” when using AI, the study found. They’re also more likely to avoid AI due to ethics and accuracy concerns.
“These are great concerns to have, and it’s awesome that women care about ethics and not cheating. But what’s really concerning is that this might inadvertently cause women to use AI less than men,” Griswold told Fortune.
The survey found that men are 27% more likely to have been praised for using AI, and women are 23% less likely to receive manager support to use it.
“The managers who are encouraging the men to use AI and not the women — they may not even know they’re doing it,” Sandberg said, adding that biases against women are often unintentional. “When you surface those biases, when you tell people, you tell managers, look, that the overall data says you’re encouraging men more than women — that is the first step to correcting that bias.”
New Era at Lean In
Griswold joined Lean In as head of product and AI in January, and by March she had replaced longtime CEO and co-founder Rachel Thomas. She said to accomplish Lean In’s goal of getting more women into leadership, they need to use AI.
“We hope that Lean In can be a place that encourages [young women] to use AI and actually [produces] real results,” she said, adding that she hopes it can be a place where women build their confidence and accelerate their careers.
“We need to make sure that we are focused on helping women of the next generation lead, and product and AI are going to be so critical to that, which is one of the many reasons we’re very lucky that Bridget has stepped into the leadership role,” Sandberg said.
Women are lagging behind men in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), a reality that former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg is keenly aware of. In response to this issue, Sandberg is redirecting her women’s leadership nonprofit, Lean In, to address the gender gap in AI. To spearhead this initiative, she has appointed 25-year-old Bridget Griswold, a former product manager at Meta, as the new CEO of Lean In.
A recent survey conducted by Lean In, which involved 1,000 U.S. adults, revealed that 33% of men use AI daily, compared to only 27% of women. Although this gap is narrowing, even minor discrepancies can have significant long-term implications, according to Sandberg. She emphasized the transformative potential of AI in the workforce, stating, “We all know that AI is already starting to, and has the power to transform how we work, who’s in the workforce, how we live, how we communicate.”
Griswold’s appointment as CEO was announced on March 24 and comes at a time of upheaval for the Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation, which oversees Lean In. The organization has faced staffing challenges, having reduced its workforce by 25% in the past year due to layoffs and voluntary departures.
Lean In’s shift toward focusing on AI is timely, especially as only half of companies prioritize women’s career advancement, and over 30% give little to no attention to the advancement of women of color, according to Lean In’s 2025 Women in the Workplace report. Compounding the issue, the report notes that women are three times more likely than men to have their jobs automated by AI, and their representation in AI leadership roles is notably low.
The survey also highlighted that women are more likely than men to feel threatened or overwhelmed when using AI, and they often experience feelings of guilt or the perception of « cheating. » Concerns surrounding AI ethics and accuracy further contribute to women’s hesitation to engage with this technology. Griswold acknowledged these issues and expressed concern that such apprehensions might lead women to use AI less frequently than their male counterparts.
The survey findings indicate that men are 27% more likely to have received praise for utilizing AI, while women are 23% less likely to receive support from their managers for using it. This disparity suggests an implicit bias at play, where managers may unintentionally encourage men to adopt AI technologies while neglecting to support women. Sandberg pointed out the importance of recognizing these biases, stating that bringing them to light is the first step in addressing and correcting them.
Griswold, who joined Lean In as head of product and AI in January, succeeded longtime CEO and co-founder Rachel Thomas in March. She emphasized that in order to help more women ascend to leadership positions, leveraging AI is crucial. She expressed hope that Lean In can foster an environment that empowers young women to engage with AI, thereby yielding tangible results in their careers.
Sandberg echoed this sentiment, highlighting the need to equip the next generation of women with skills in product management and AI. She expressed confidence in Griswold’s leadership, remarking on the critical role that technology will play in advancing women’s professional trajectories.
Overall, Lean In’s new focus on AI, under the leadership of Bridget Griswold, represents a proactive approach to addressing the gender gap in technology adoption. By emphasizing the importance of AI in the workplace and striving to create an inclusive environment, the organization aims to empower women and enhance their representation in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.
