Gen Z's Use of AI Is Plateauing as Youth Feel Less Hopeful About the Tech

Key Points:

• A Gallup poll of over 1,500 people aged 14 to 29 reveals growing skepticism toward AI among Gen Z, despite steady usage rates since 2025, indicating a plateau in adoption accompanied by rising concerns about AI's consequences.
• Gen Z's mixed feelings about AI include curiosity, anxiety, and anger, with excitement and hope decreasing significantly; 40% express anxiety about AI's broader impacts, especially among non-users, while daily users show more hope but still notable anxiety.
• Negative impacts linked to AI, such as effects on mental health, employment, and the environment, have contributed to increasing distrust, particularly as AI automation appears to hinder job opportunities and on-the-job training for young workers.
• Many young working adults believe AI poses risks equal to or greater than its benefits, particularly regarding creativity and critical thinking, and trust in AI to accelerate work or learning is declining, with a strong preference for human-generated work over AI-produced content.
• The poll's findings are critical as Gen Z is the largest emerging workforce segment, and their ambivalence toward AI could influence the future trajectory of AI adoption and its economic and societal impacts.