Gen Z uses artificial intelligence every day, but they’re increasingly unhappy about it
Gen Z has always been seen as the generation born for technology. Smartphones, social media, streaming — all of it is woven into these young people’s daily lives in a way no other generation has experienced. So when generative artificial intelligence started blowing up, the logic seemed simple: these young people would be the first to jump on board with full enthusiasm, right?
Wrong.
A new survey from Gallup, conducted in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation and GSV Ventures — a venture capital firm focused on educational technology — delivered findings that go against what a lot of people expected. More than half of young people between 14 and 29 in the United States use generative AI regularly, yes. But the feelings around this technology are cooling off — and in some cases, turning into outright anger. 😬
The study surveyed more than 1,500 people between February and March of this year, and the results paint a picture of a generation that uses the tool daily but is growing increasingly suspicious of where all of this is headed. Adoption keeps happening — after all, nobody stopped using it. But using something isn’t the same as trusting it. And that’s exactly where this story gets interesting. 👇
The numbers nobody expected to see
When Gallup started consolidating the data from this survey, the picture that emerged was quite different from the optimism that dominated artificial intelligence headlines in recent years. In earlier surveys, excitement was considerably higher among young people. Tools like ChatGPT became hot topics in schools, universities, and group chats. It seemed like Gen Z had found the ultimate toy — something that fit into their study routines, work habits, and even entertainment.
But the latest data tells a different story. Among the young people surveyed, the share who said they felt hopeful about AI dropped from 27% to just 18% compared to the previous year. Excitement also declined. And nearly a third of respondents indicated that the technology makes them feel angry. This isn’t some overnight dramatic reversal, but it’s a clear signal that this generation’s feelings are becoming far more critical and less naive than before.
It’s worth noting that usage itself didn’t decline. About half of respondents reported using AI daily or weekly, numbers similar to last year’s survey. Just under 20% said they don’t use AI at all. The point is that this everyday usage is no longer accompanied by excitement. It’s a relationship that has become more pragmatic, more detached, almost purely utilitarian.
Receive the best innovation content in your email.
All the news, tips, trends, and resources you're looking for, delivered to your inbox.
By subscribing to the newsletter, you agree to receive communications from Método Viral. We are committed to always protecting and respecting your privacy.
As Zach Hrynowski, a senior education researcher at Gallup who worked on the study, observed, adoption hasn’t grown significantly over the past year, even though more and more Gen Z members say they have access to these tools. He also noted that the youngest members of the generation — the teenagers — were the most likely to say they use AI frequently. Gen Z learned how to use the tool, but they seem to have also developed a much sharper — and more skeptical — eye for what it represents in the long run. 🤔
What’s behind this shift in sentiment
Understanding why young people’s feelings about artificial intelligence cooled off so quickly requires looking beyond the numbers. One of the most frequently cited reasons among respondents is a genuine fear about the job market. Gen Z is entering the workforce right now — or is about to — and the conversation around automation, job replacement, and the devaluation of certain human skills has hit too close to home to ignore.
The data backs up this concern in a big way. Nearly half of young people already in the workforce said the risks of artificial intelligence outweigh its potential benefits in professional settings — a jump of 11 percentage points from the previous year. Only 15% saw AI as a net benefit at work. That’s a significant shift, and it reflects the real anxiety of people trying to establish themselves professionally in an increasingly uncertain landscape.
Sydney Gill, a 19-year-old freshman at Rice University in Houston, illustrates this feeling well. She shared that she was optimistic about artificial intelligence as a learning tool back in high school. Now, as she’s choosing her major, her perspective has changed. Her sense is that any field of interest has the potential to be replaced, possibly within the next few years.
Another major factor is the issue of trust in information. As generative AI tools have advanced, so has the spread of fake content, deepfakes, texts generated without factual grounding, and manipulated images that look absolutely real. For a generation that grew up navigating the internet and learning to spot fake news, this new layer of AI-powered disinformation is something that genuinely worries them. The young people surveyed by Gallup specifically mentioned AI-fueled misinformation spreading across social media as one of their top concerns.
There’s also the worry about AI’s impact on creativity and critical thinking. Researcher Zach Hrynowski pointed out that while many respondents acknowledge AI can make them more efficient in school and at work, there’s a parallel concern that relying on the tool could compromise fundamental cognitive skills. It’s as if Gen Z is asking themselves: if AI does the work for me, what’s left for my brain to do?
Then there’s a more subjective but equally important element: the feeling that AI is being shoved down their throats without anyone asking whether everybody wanted it in the first place. Platforms that used to be simple are now packed with integrated AI features, sometimes without notice, sometimes without the option to turn them off. This lack of control and choice really bothers Gen Z, a generation that historically values autonomy and transparency in their relationship with technology. 😤
Adapting isn’t the same as accepting
This might be the most important takeaway from the entire discussion: the fact that Gen Z continues using artificial intelligence every day doesn’t mean this generation approves of the direction things are heading. Adaptation is a natural and almost inevitable response when a technology becomes so deeply embedded in the tools people use for studying, working, and communicating. Ignoring AI today would be like ignoring the internet in the 2000s — technically possible, but increasingly difficult and potentially harmful for anyone who tried.
Abigail Hackett, 27, who works in the tourism and hospitality industry near Anchorage, Alaska, is a good example of this ambivalent relationship. She acknowledges that some AI tools save time at work but avoids using them in her personal life. The reason? She doesn’t want her social skills to atrophy. Hackett said she still feels hesitant about using AI to draft communications with other people, because she believes certain things are deeply human and should stay that way.
On the other hand, not everyone in Gen Z is that skeptical. Ryan Guckian, 30, a software tester in Detroit, came across as a more enthusiastic user. He shared that he uses ChatGPT daily for tasks like sifting through lines of code and brainstorming recipe ideas for his dating anniversary. For him, what he’s seen so far hasn’t scared him much. He even mentioned some AI-generated yeti videos he came across on social media and found hilarious.
These different perspectives within the same generation show that the relationship with AI isn’t monolithic. The Gallup survey found that the older members of the group — in the 25-to-29 age range — tend to have a slightly more pragmatic and less emotional view of the technology, possibly because they’re already in the workforce and interact with AI in a more instrumental way. Meanwhile, the younger ones, especially teenagers, were the most likely to report frequent use but also showed elevated levels of concern and discomfort.
This finding matters because that younger group is exactly who’s being digitally literate right now, in real time, while AI is still being built and regulated. The feelings these young people develop over the next few years will shape much of how an entire generation relates to this technology going forward.
AI as a future necessity — even without the enthusiasm
One especially revealing finding from the survey shows that, despite growing skepticism, a large portion of Gen Z recognizes that artificial intelligence will be an indispensable skill in the future. Nearly half of respondents who haven’t yet finished high school predicted they’ll need to know how to use AI in their future careers. That number shows there’s a clear awareness that, regardless of personal feelings about the technology, ignoring it isn’t a viable option.
The survey results arrive at a time of intense debate among parents, students, and policymakers about the role AI systems should play in young people’s lives. Gen Z members have been turning to chatbots like ChatGPT to get relationship advice, get help with schoolwork, and even outsource complex decisions like choosing which college to attend. These use cases show that AI is already deeply intertwined with important moments in these young people’s lives — which makes the question of trust even more relevant.
And here’s a data point that could be a glimmer of hope for the industry: among all the emotional responses measured by the survey, the most widely reported one among young respondents was curiosity. This suggests that despite the drop in hope and the rise in anger, the door isn’t completely shut. Gen Z hasn’t turned its back on AI. They’re just asking for something that seems pretty reasonable: more transparency, more control, and more of a say in the decisions about how these tools are developed and deployed.
What this landscape means for the future of AI
If the youngest and most connected generation on the planet is developing an increasingly ambivalent relationship with artificial intelligence, that has direct implications for the future of the industry. Tech companies, developers, and policymakers need to pay attention to this data because ignoring the feelings of an entire generation rarely ends well. Gen Z represents a massive volume of current and future users, and the trust — or lack thereof — that this group develops today will determine how the next iterations of these technologies are received tomorrow.
The fact that the survey was conducted at a time when Americans in general are showing growing animosity toward AI makes the data even more significant. The hostility isn’t limited to older generations or people less familiar with technology. It’s spreading to the very audience that should be the most receptive. When even Gen Z starts asking tough questions about the limits and risks of artificial intelligence, it’s time to pay attention.
Zach Hrynowski, the Gallup researcher, admitted he was surprised by how quickly young people’s attitudes shifted. This change didn’t happen because the technology got worse — in fact, the tools are more advanced than ever. The change happened because people started noticing the real, tangible, and not always positive consequences of what AI can do when it scales without proper safeguards.
Adoption could be much smoother — and feelings much more positive — if AI development went hand in hand with transparency policies, clear regulation, and real mechanisms for user control. This isn’t about hitting the brakes on technology. It’s about building it in a way that makes people feel like they’re part of the process, not like they’re getting steamrolled by it.
At the end of the day, what this story shows is that technology, no matter how impressive, doesn’t automatically win hearts and minds. Gen Z proved that in a pretty eloquent way: using something isn’t endorsing it, and adapting isn’t the same as being satisfied. The Gallup data is an accurate barometer showing that building trust is just as important as building algorithms. 🤝
