GenZ, AI, and the trust gap
Gen Z’s relationship with AI is entering a second phase: usage remains high, but enthusiasm is lowering, scepticism is increasing, and adoption is plateauing rather than exploding. This is not a simple “Gen Z loves AI” or “Gen Z rejects AI” story, but a much more complex reality that leaders need to understand if they want AI to work in their organisation.
From AI “wow” to AI “whatever”
Recent surveys describe a different picture: Gen Z AI use is steady, but the emotional climate around it has turned more negative in the last year.
Gallup, in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation and GSV Ventures, finds that around half of Gen Z (51%) now use AI at weekly, but that growth has slowed to only 4% points year over year. Gallup’s findings are particularly useful for leaders: the relationship is stabilizing but not deepening, because adoption stay at the same level while enthusiasm declines and scepticism rise. In the same research, AI excitement fell by 14% points in one year to 22%, and hopefulness dropped by 9 points to 18%.
The emotional change
The biggest change is emotional, not technical. According to Gallup, 31% of Gen Z now say AI makes them feel angry, up from 22% a year earlier. Anxiety remains high, with about 4 in 10 young people reporting concern about AI’s trajectory. Excitement and hopefulness are now some of the weakest emotions in Gen Z’s response to AI.
The New York Times summarized the mood well: young adults are using AI, but they do not feel great about it, with hopefulness among 14- to 29-year-olds falling from 27% to 18% in one year. Axios confirms Gen Z’s growing AI anger, using the same Gallup-backed data to show an important emotional deterioration even as use remains widespread.
Adoption is flattening
This trend should not be overstated. The evidence does not show a collapse in AI use among Gen Z; it shows a plateau. Gallup’s youth polling found no meaningful year-over-year increase in overall AI use among 14- to 29-year-olds, even if the availability of AI tools became more important in education and work. The majority of Gen Z still uses AI weekly, but the growth has flattened.
That distinction matters. A plateau in a moment of intense technological hype suggests that exposure alone is no longer enough to deepen engagement. Gen Z has not turned away from AI, but many have taken a psychological step back.
Sentiment is changing
Three structural tensions could help explain this change.
First, career risk and career necessity now coexist. Gallup’s Gen Z research hub reports that 48% of working Gen Z respondents believe the risks of AI in the workforce outweigh the benefits, up from 37% the year before. The same research shows that many younger people also believe AI skills will be necessary for future success in work and education.
Second, young people increasingly worry that AI may weaken learning rather than strengthen it. Coverage of the Gallup data on education highlights concern for new and existing users about academic integrity, overreliance, and the erosion of deep learning.
Third, the trust issue. The Verge’s analysis of the Gallup findings argues that Gen Z’s mixed feelings are tied to the technology itself but also about the institutions deploying it, including schools, employers, and tech companies. AI adoption is now as much about credibility, fairness, and transparency as it is about productivity.
Implications for businesses
The first implication is that companies should not interpret logins for buy-in. Weekly usage can remain stable while trust deteriorates underneath. If executives measure activity only, they may miss the adoption problem forming in sentiment and culture.
The second implication is that many younger employees may become reluctant users rather than enthusiastic advocacy. That mindset may satisfy a rollout analysis, but it is far from enough to unlock experimentation, creativity, or long-term transformation.
The third implication is, in the AI world, governance now matters as much as enablement. Younger generations want clarity on how AI affects evaluation, privacy, data use, and career progression. To earn trust, and not just usage, businesses will need to see AI as much more than just a new tool.
The realistic view
Saying Gen Z is either all-in on AI or turning against it would be too easy as this is not what data show. Gen Z continues to use AI at meaningful levels, but its emotional contract with AI is becoming weaker. Adoption is stable, not crashing but not increasing but resentment is growing.
For business leaders, the key question is no longer how to get younger generations to try AI, as they already have, but how to turn reluctant, sceptical users into confident, meaningful adopters. Clear communication, visible guardrails, and genuine involvement from younger employees in how AI workflows are designed and governed will be needed.
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