Gen Z: worried about AI
Surveys and reports show widespread Gen Z anxiety about AI's impact: one report says 72% of Gen Z believe AI will reduce entry‑level corporate opportunities within five years and 17% think such roles could disappear, while another item claims some workers are sabotaging AI deployments to protect jobs. Separately, analysis notes Gen Z makes up roughly a quarter of the global population but accounts for about 17% of consumer spending. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, futurism.com, bestmediainfo.com)
Gen Z is using artificial intelligence every week, but its mood has turned sharply more anxious and more angry about what the technology could do to work. (waltonfamilyfoundation.org, nextgeninsights.waltonfamilyfoundation.org) A Walton Family Foundation, GSV Ventures and Gallup survey released April 9, 2026 found 51% of Gen Z uses generative artificial intelligence at least weekly, but excitement fell 14 percentage points from 2025 to 22%, hopefulness fell 9 points to 18%, and anger rose 9 points to 31%. The survey covered more than 1,500 people ages 14 to 29. (waltonfamilyfoundation.org, nextgeninsights.waltonfamilyfoundation.org) Another report cited by The Times of India said 43% of Gen Z workers have already changed their career plans because of artificial intelligence. The same item said 72% think entry-level corporate jobs will shrink within five years. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) That anxiety is showing up inside offices. A Writer and Workplace Intelligence survey of 2,400 knowledge workers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe found 29% of employees said they had sabotaged their company’s artificial intelligence strategy, and the share rose to 44% among Gen Z workers. (futurism.com, finance.yahoo.com) The methods in that survey were concrete, not symbolic: entering proprietary information into public chatbots, using unapproved tools, or submitting poor artificial intelligence output without fixing it. Writer said fear of job replacement was the top reason employees gave for doing it. (futurism.com, finance.yahoo.com) Employers are sending mixed signals at the same time. The Walton-Gallup report said worker access to artificial intelligence rose 50% in 2025 and the share of work hours spent using generative artificial intelligence increased from 4.1% to 5.7%, even as Gen Z adoption itself leveled off. (nextgeninsights.waltonfamilyfoundation.org) Layoff rhetoric has added to the pressure. Futurism reported on March 4, 2026 that Block cut 4,000 jobs, while Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy said companies would need fewer people for some tasks; the same article also cited critics who said executives may be “AI-washing” ordinary cost cutting. (futurism.com) Outside the labor market, Gen Z is still younger than the spending power many brands want. Best Media Info reported April 13, 2026 that Gen Z makes up roughly a quarter of the world’s population but about 17% of consumer spending, citing NielsenIQ, while several marketers said millennials still drive the larger share of sales today. (bestmediainfo.com) That leaves Gen Z in an awkward position in 2026: expected to adopt artificial intelligence quickly at school and work, but unconvinced it will protect entry-level careers or deliver immediate economic security. (nextgeninsights.waltonfamilyfoundation.org, timesofindia.indiatimes.com, bestmediainfo.com)
