AI. This is now one of the biggest and most discussed terms in the last couple of years. What seemed like a futuristic idea in the early 2000s is now being used, discussed and felt everywhere. It is not wrong to say artificial intelligence is everywhere right now.From chatbots writing emails, solving your problems, planning your travel itinerary to tools creating images and videos, AI is being pushed as the future of everything.
But, according to a new study, Gen Z — the generation expected to adopt it the fastest — is not fully convinced yet. The findings show that Gen Z’s relationship with AI is now becoming complicated.
From smartphones to social media, they have been the first to jump in every new development in the tech space. But with generative AI, the trend looks different. They are using it but they are also questioning it.
A survey by Gallup, GSV Ventures and the Walton Family Foundation shows that Gen Z is not fully sure about AI. Around 48 per cent young people say the risks of AI at work are higher than its benefits, while a huge 80 per cent believe using AI as a shortcut can make learning harder.
“Gen Z’s feelings about AI are closely tied to how frequently they use it. Less-frequent AI users reported notably lower positive sentiment and higher negative sentiment than their peers who use AI more frequently. This underscores a strong relationship between familiarity with AI and more favourable perceptions,” the report said.
According to the report, just over half of Gen Z (around 51 per cent) use AI daily. This number has not increased much from last year. At the same time, nearly 1 in 5 (19 per cent) say they never use AI. This shows that despite all the hype, AI adoption among young users is not growing as fast as expected.
The survey also found that only 22 per cent of Gen Z say they feel excited about AI, down sharply from last year. Hopefulness has also dropped to 18 per cent. On the other hand, negative feelings are rising. At least 31 percent young people say they feel anger towards AI, while 42 per cent report anxiety. Curiosity remains the strongest emotion at 49 per cent, but that curiosity is clearly mixed with concern.
One major reason behind this hesitation could be trust, the report said. Many Gen Z users are not convinced that AI actually improves their skills.
“In fact, 38 per cent believe AI may harm creativity, and 42 per cent say it could negatively impact critical thinking. Even when it comes to productivity, confidence is falling. Only 56 percent now believe AI helps them complete tasks faster, which is a 10-point drop from last year,” the researchers said in the report.
At the same time, Gen Z is not rejecting AI either. They understand that it is important. As per the survey, around 52 per cent of students say they will need AI skills for higher education and 48 per cent believe it will matter in their careers.
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This creates a strange situation. Gen Z knows AI is the future,but they are not fully comfortable with it yet. They are using it but with caution.
In a way, this is a reality check for tech companies. Just adding AI is not enough, people especially young users want to understand how it actually helps them without hurting their skills.
