Gen Z is growing increasingly angry about the role of artificial intelligence in their lives.
A new Gallup survey by the Walton Family Foundation and GSV Ventures shows that a generation once seen as AI’s early adopters is now sounding the alarm on its risks, particularly in the workplace.
While the majority of Gen Zers (51%) still use the technology weekly, growth has slowed to a crawl, increasing only four percentage points over the past year.
This stagnation in adoption is accompanied by a sharp decline in positive sentiment.
Excitement and hopefulness have dropped by 14 and nine percentage points, respectively, while 31% of Gen Z now report feeling outright anger toward the technology, up from 22% last year.
Anxiety remains high, with slightly more than four in 10 young people continuing to report feeling uneasy about the technology’s trajectory.
The workplace risk gap
Nearly half of Gen Z workers (48%) now believe the risks of AI in the workforce outweigh its benefits, a significant 11-point increase over the prior year. This skepticism persists even as 56% of Gen Zers acknowledge that AI tools can help them complete their work faster.
However, this recognition of speed comes with a steep perceived cost: Eight in 10 Gen Zers (80%) believe that relying on AI to complete tasks faster will likely make learning more difficult in the future.
Furthermore, the belief that AI is a reliable driver of productivity is fading. The percentage of Gen Zers who agree that AI tools can help them complete work faster has declined by 10 points since 2025.
Despite these fears, over half of K-12 students (52%) believe they will need to know how to use AI for higher education, and 48% expect to use it in their future careers.
“Gen Z isn’t rejecting AI outright, but they are reassessing its role in their lives. What we’re seeing in the data is a generation that recognizes AI’s utility but is increasingly concerned about its long-term impact on learning, trust and career readiness,” says Stephanie Marken, senior partner at Gallup.
“Their growing skepticism signals a need for more thoughtful integration of these tools in both school settings and the workplace.”
Schools make progress, students cautious
Incidence of school policies regarding AI, as well as access to these tools, have increased notably over the past year.
According to Gen Z K-12 students, nearly three-quarters (74%) of schools now have policies regarding AI and academic work, a 23-point increase from last year.
However, as access and rules expand, students are becoming more skeptical about AI being used in the classroom and there is an emerging perception of academic dishonesty.
About four in 10 students (41%) believe that most or all of their classmates are using AI for schoolwork even when they are not supposed to.
This atmosphere of peer distrust coincides with a broader shift in student sentiment.
“Gen Z is sending us a strong signal and we must treat it as a call to act, not a perception to explain away,” says Romy Drucker, director of the Education Program at the Walton Family Foundation.
“It is imperative that we listen and adapt to help students feel confident, motivated, and engaged in an AI world.”
Gen Z prioritises human-led services
Preference for AI-powered services remains low among Gen Zers when asked to choose between technology or humans to provide a service.
Fewer than 20% of Gen Zers would choose AI for services like tutoring, financial advice and customer service.
The overwhelming majority of the digitally native generation still prefers that a human perform these tasks, highlighting a clear desire for human connection over automated efficiency.