Gen Z Thinks AI Is Rotting Their Brains, But Can't Stop Using It: Survey

Workplace skepticism is even sharper. Nearly half of employed Gen Zers—48%—now say the risks of AI outweigh its benefits at work, an 11-point jump from last year. Only 15% see it as a net positive for their careers. Fewer than 20% would choose AI over a human for services like tutoring, financial advice, or customer support. Trust in AI-assisted work sits at 28%, compared to 69% for exclusively human output.

Part of this is rational fear, considering AI is already displacing white-collar jobs faster than most predicted, and Gen Z is watching it happen as they enter the workforce. Sydney Gill, a 19-year-old freshman at Rice University, told the New York Times: "I feel like anything that I'm interested in has the potential of maybe getting replaced, even in the next few years." A separate Gallup study found 42% of bachelor's degree students have reconsidered their college major because of AI.

Nearly three-quarters of K-12 schools now have AI policies—up 23 points in a single year—but more rules haven't produced more trust. If anything, they've entrenched a sense of academic dishonesty: 41% of students believe most of their classmates are using AI for schoolwork when they're not supposed to.

"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," said 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."

Gen Z was supposed to be AI's proof of concept—the generation so native to digital tools that adoption would be frictionless and enthusiasm would be self-sustaining. Instead, the data shows a cohort that uses AI largely out of necessity, increasingly distrusts what it produces, and worries that the shortcut is making them worse at the long game. Even elite scientists have started admitting AI does most of their thinking now—which might explain why Gen Z, watching this unfold, isn't particularly reassured.