The More Young People Use AI, the Less They Like It
The generation expected to love AI may become its toughest critic
A new study reveals that as more young people adopt artificial intelligence (AI), their enthusiasm for the technology appears to be waning. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2023, 55 percent of American adults under 30 said they are more concerned than excited about AI, up from 31 percent in 2021. Only 11 percent of this age group expressed more excitement than concern, down from 25 percent.
The decline in AI enthusiasm among young people is attributed to their growing concerns about the technology's potential impact on their present and future. These concerns include the rise of deepfakes, job losses, and the erosion of job security. Amita Bhasin, co-founder and CEO of Sotira, an AI-powered surplus inventory management platform, attributes this antipathy to AI among Gen Z to their fear of its effects on their future. She notes that the older generation is underestimating this sentiment.
Nikolas Guggenberger, an assistant professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center, highlights that the perception of AI among young people has "cratered" since the launch of ChatGPT. A Gallup poll found that even though half of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) now use generative AI weekly or daily, their excitement and overall positive feelings about AI have significantly decreased. Anger towards AI rose to 31 percent, and 80 percent of Gen Z respondents worry about AI hindering their ability to learn.
The negative sentiment towards AI is not limited to young people but extends to their political preferences. According to a CNBC/Generation Labs poll, 60 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 believe the construction of data centers should slow down, and 40 percent want the government to regulate AI. Additionally, 45 percent of this age group expect AI to negatively impact their careers.
This growing hostility towards AI among Gen Z has not gone unnoticed by tech leaders. In a CNBC/Generation Labs poll, over two-thirds of respondents said they don't trust OpenAI's Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta. Gen Z leaders are calling for specific protective policies, rather than voluntary pledges from tech companies, to earn their trust in AI.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
