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Teens and young adults are frequent users of artificial intelligence, but they feel uncertain AI is always more helpful than harmful.
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Gen Z Americans are known for being tech-savvy digital natives, but a new survey shows they’re hesitant about the impact of the evolving world of generative AI.
Recently published data from Gallup, supported by the Walton Family Foundation and GSV Ventures, found that the average young person (age 13 to 28) is skeptical about the effects of generative AI on their critical thinking and creativity, despite engaging regularly with the tools and seeing their importance for the future.
K-12 students want clear guidelines on when to use generative AI in their coursework and more education on how to use AI to prepare them for work. Gen Z adults currently in the workforce report a lack of guidance on when or how to use generative AI, revealing a lack of training along their career pathways.
Methodology
The survey includes 3,465 responses from members of Gen Z, ages 13 to 28, across the country. Responses were fielded from March 6 to 13.
Personal use: On trend with past surveys, a majority (79 percent) of Gen Z individuals use artificial intelligence products, and almost half (47 percent) use AI at least weekly, if not daily. Among those 18 and older, this share shrinks to 45 percent, compared with 53 percent of high schoolers.
Yet not all of them feel joyful about the prospects generative AI has to offer. Over half (53 percent) of Gen Z adults say artificial intelligence makes them feel anxious, compared to 21 percent of high school and middle school students. Only one-third of Gen Z adults say they feel excited about AI.
Frequent AI users were more likely to report positive feelings toward the tools, while those who use them less frequently were more likely to report negative feelings. “Still, even 29 percent of daily AI users say that the technology makes them feel anxious, and 30 percent of those who use it no more than monthly are excited by AI,” according to the report.
At school and work: Generative AI is intended to make work more efficient, and survey respondents think it does. About half of respondents agree that generative AI can help them learn faster, and even greater shares say AI makes it easier to find information and complete their work.
But young people also see the downsides of these technologies. Respondents are twice as likely to say AI will harm their critical thinking skills than help them. They also expressed a lack of confidence in AI’s ability to help them come up with new ideas or search for accurate information.
Still, the survey underscores Gen Z’s understanding that AI skills will be necessary in the future. Roughly half of respondents said they thought AI should be allowed in the classroom (47 percent) and that K-12 schools should be required to teach students how to leverage AI (52 percent). This supports previous studies that found students want more AI training in college.
Among young adults in the workforce, 30 percent say they use AI tools in their work at least once a month, a figure that climbs to 45 percent among those with a bachelor’s degree.
However, half of respondents say their employer does not have any rules regarding AI use; only one in 10 say their employer has established “extremely clear” policies.
Despite their frequent use of AI at work, one-third of young workers believe the risks of artificial intelligence outweigh the benefits. Two-thirds of respondents said they would be more likely to trust work done by humans than work completed or assisted by AI, and about one-third believe that AI should only be used if it makes no mistakes.
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