Why women fall behind in AI use, former Meta COO explains

Women are falling behind in AI adoption, prompting tech owners to act. Lean In announced its major AI gender gap solution on March 24 in the United States. The non-profit which Meta's former Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg established selected 25-year-old Bridget Griswold to become CEO and drive organisational change.

The decision came after a survey which included 1,000 adults showed that women use AI tools on a daily basis at lower rates than men. The small gap between male and female AI usage according to Sandberg will grow larger over time and harm professional development.

Why women lag in AI use?

Lean In found that 33% of men use AI every day, compared to 27% of women. The gap may appear to be small, but experts are warning that this gap may actually exacerbate inequality. Another issue is that women are less likely to get support from managers when using AI technology.

Sandberg explains that artificial intelligence has already changed the methods by which people perform their work and their communication processes. She warned that missing out on AI skills could leave women behind in future job markets.

The data shows that women use AI technology with greater caution than men. People express multiple concerns about the technology, which include ethical issues and accuracy problems and the feeling that using these tools constitutes cheating.

Lean In named Meta's former product manager Bridget Griswold as its new CEO. Critics questioned her age and experience, but Sandberg said the organisation needed an AI-native leader.

Lean In CEO Bridget Griswold, speaking about how women should be encouraged to use AI, said that they believe empowering women to use AI with confidence will help them advance in their careers.

According to their 2025 report, only half of companies prioritise women’s progression, and more than 30% do not give much emphasis to women of colour. Moreover, jobs occupied by women are three times more likely to be automated.

According to Sandberg, biases exist in such a way that managers don’t even know they are giving more encouragement to men than women, and thus, the first step towards solving this issue is realising this gap exists.