Gen Z uses AI. But it makes them anxious.
A recap from ASU+GSV. And how AI further bifurcates the two gen zs.
I spent this week at the ASU+GSV summit in San Diego, an education focused summit centering innovations, challenges, and opportunities in the K-12, higher education, and workforce preparedness space.
Speakers ranged from current US Education Secretary Linda McMahon, to former US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, athlete, activist, and entrepreneur Colin Kaepernick, and ParentData guru Emily Oster. The general conversation was thought-provoking and forward-thinking.
In a panel discussion centered on how AI can help create a thriving middle class, I shared some of the excitement and concern I’ve been hearing from young people about how new technologies may foster or stunt their potential.
According to new survey data from Gallup and The Walton Family Foundation, here’s how Gen Z feels about AI:
47% of Gen Z uses generative AI weekly
49% of Gen Z students report that their school doesn’t have a policy for AI use (or are unaware of any policy)
36% of Gen Z adults say the “risks” of AI in the workplace are greater than the “benefits”
The survey also found that 41% of Gen Zers say generative AI tools make them anxious – something I’ve heard in my qualitative research, too. Gen Z adults are the most anxious about AI, while high school and middle school students are far less concerned.
High school and middle school students are also the most frequent AI users, with 22% of high schoolers and 21% of middle schoolers using generative AI products daily as compared to 17% of Gen Z adults.
And while just 21% of high school students say AI makes them anxious, that number rises to 53% for Gen Z adults (granted, however, that could be because of an age bias and the fact that high school students have less to worry about generally speaking).
These age divisions track with my theory of the case on how AI further bifurcates the two Gen Zs.
AI was not a thing when Gen Z 1.0 was in high school (or college) and therefore, they have less familiarity and comfort levels with AI products. Gen Z 2.0 (those who started college, high school, and middle school after the start of the pandemic) have had more of their upbringing shaped by AI, though it is still so nascent.
At a breakfast on Tuesday, students shared their personal experiences with AI and feelings on where adults are missing the mark when talking to students about the buzzy topic.
I had three key takeaways:
The pros and cons of AI for edu are not black and white
The most important thing for adults to understand, explained Luke Stephenson, a student at Mountain View High School, is that “literally everyone uses it.” People do “abuse” it, but the pros and cons of AI in education are not black and white, good or bad. It’s not that simple, he warned.
“Teachers are either for it or against it,” said Jaeden Pietrofeso, also a student at Mountain View. “Students are bound to cheat no matter what. If you only see the negatives, you won’t see the benefit,” he said.
Meanwhile Yash Maheshwari, a third student at Mountain View, stressed that if not implemented properly, the tool could create a further divergence between “motivated” and “unmotivated” students, where those who are “motivated” will use it to get ahead, and those who don’t know how to use it could fall further behind.
Stephenson, Pietrofeso, and Maheshwari are part of a group of students helping Mountain View think about the best ways to incorporate new technologies in their community and beyond.
Students are not automatic experts
Pietrofeso warned adults from assuming that all students are AI experts. At the end of the day, the technology is so new and evolving everyday that very few people, if anyone, can be fully versed in it.
He advocated for schools to implement a roadmap or guidelines for how to use it.
“You’d think in the Bay area there would be a school wide policy,” Pietrofeso said, “but no,” he said, adding that school-wide policies and consistency would enable students to use the tools most effectively, without fear of punishment.
‘Culture shift’ does not line up with ‘industrial shift’
We also discussed the point of education in the AI age and the future of work.
Overwhelmingly, the students agreed that schools are not teaching for the current climate and that curricula need to emphasize critical thinking skills to meet the moment head on.
O.G. Nwaezeigwe, a graduate student at UNC Chapel Hill, shared that the “culture shift” in prioritization of work-life balance amongst Gen Z students, employees, and entrepreneurs is not keeping up with what she called the “industrial shift” when it comes to workplace demands.
Talking about the “industrial shift,” in school and work, she said, “everything is STEM, STEM, STEM.” But then, she said, “you have the cultural shift, especially with the rise of Instagram and influencers and soft life… everybody wants to live a lifestyle that's beneficial for them and their future family, if they so desire.”
“When you compare that with everything is STEM, ‘I need to be a machine. I need to get out there and get the best internship. I need status.’ Compared to ‘I also just want to stay on the beach. I want to lie down. I want to sleep,’” Nwaezeigwe said,
“Those two things are not meshing… which makes employers not want to hire Gen Z.”
This survey data is part of an on-going ‘Voices of Gen Z’ study with Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation. Longtime readers of The Up and Up may be familiar with this partnership, which, in part, shed light on Gen Z’s rightward shift last spring. As you may know, thanks to the support of the Walton Family Foundation, I’ve had the opportunity to conduct a series of listening sessions with young people across the country since I started The Up and Up in 2022. The Gallup and Walton Family Foundation’s quantitative data sets provide another vantage point into the psyche of young Americans.
Noteworthy reads
The Locker-Room Playbook for Managing Gen Z Employees, Callum Borchers for The Wall Street Journal
How Millennials, Gen Z Are Lowering Birth Rates Around the World, Alyce Collins for Newsweek
Opinion: Why Gen Z wants more live brand experiences, Tamara Walbourn for Ad Age