New polling shows young Americans are cooling on artificial intelligence, expressing rising skepticism about its benefits and the impact it will have on their work and learning. The survey results highlight shifting emotions — less hope, more anger and concern — and reveal a generation that uses technology daily but worries about what it does to creativity, skills, and job security.
For years we’ve assumed younger people embrace every new tech wave, but recent data suggests that’s changing when it comes to AI. Many people aged 14 to 29 now report more negative feelings about AI than they did a year ago, signaling a real cultural shift rather than a passing mood. That skepticism appears to be tied to what AI might mean for careers and the habits that form the foundation of learning.
A Gallup survey of more than 1,500 young people conducted in February and March found a notable drop in positive sentiment. One year earlier, 27 percent said they felt “hopeful” about AI; in 2026 that share fell to 18 percent. At the same time, nearly a third of respondents said AI makes them feel “angry,” which is a striking emotional response for a technology often framed in terms of efficiency and convenience.
These feelings are not purely abstract: many Gen Z respondents are already encountering AI in school and at work, and they notice how it changes the way tasks get done. They acknowledge the convenience and efficiency AI can bring, yet they worry about the cost to skills that matter long term, like creativity and critical thinking. That tension between short-term utility and long-term development is fueling hesitation among people who expect to build careers in a world where AI is increasingly common.
Survey researchers have pointed out that young people are becoming more “acutely aware” of AI’s effects. Zach Hrynowski said: “In most of these cases, Gen Z-ers have become increasingly skeptical, increasingly negative — from a place where even last year, they weren’t particularly positive about it.” This comment captures how attitudes have shifted from mild indifference toward sharper concern in just a year, especially among those entering the workforce.
Numbers from the poll underline those worries in practical terms: almost half of Gen Zers who are already employed think the risks of AI in the workplace outweigh the benefits, an increase of about 11 percentage points from 2025. Only 15 percent viewed AI as a net professional benefit. Those figures suggest that, as AI tools spread across jobs, many young workers feel threatened rather than empowered by the technology.
Use patterns matter. People who use AI daily tended to report more enthusiasm than those who use it weekly, which points to a familiarity effect but also to a complex relationship between exposure and opinion. Daily users may find practical advantages that weekly users do not, but higher usage does not erase deeper worries about skill erosion or job replacement. In short, frequency of use shapes feelings, but it does not resolve the underlying trade-offs people see.
There is also a generation-specific angle: Gen Z grew up with digital tools at their fingertips, making them more attuned to how software shapes thinking and habits. That upbringing gives them a different perspective than workers in midcareer who may be adopting AI later in life. Young people often worry not just about immediate tasks being automated, but about how reliance on AI could blunt their capacity to learn, innovate, and stand out in competitive fields.
Beyond careers, the debate takes in education too, where instructors and students are negotiating how to use AI without undermining learning outcomes. Schools and employers are wrestling with policies and practices to manage AI use, but the emotional reaction of this generation suggests policy alone won’t change how students feel. What young people want is clarity about expectations, fair protections for jobs, and mechanisms that let them demonstrate the unique skills AI can’t replace.
Even as skepticism rises, Gen Z seems to be preparing for a future with AI rather than rejecting it outright. Awareness and caution can coexist with pragmatic adaptation, and many of these young people are already learning to work alongside tools they do not fully trust. That pragmatic approach may shape how companies, educators, and policymakers respond as this cohort moves deeper into the labor market.
The conversation about AI among young people matters because their attitudes will influence workplace norms and educational priorities for years to come. Institutions listening now may find opportunities to design systems that support skill development while using AI responsibly. The challenge is building environments that preserve creativity and critical thinking even as technology reshapes routine tasks.
Public discussion will likely continue to focus on balancing the clear efficiencies AI offers against the less visible costs to human expertise. If Gen Z keeps pushing back on tools that seem to shortcut learning or displace roles, companies might be forced to rethink how they deploy AI and how they prepare workers to add measurable, human value. That pressure could produce policies and training programs aimed at protecting jobs and cultivating distinctively human skills.
Ultimately, the poll shows more than a passing mood: it reveals a generation thinking hard about how technology shapes opportunity and identity. They are not simply rejecting innovation; they are testing whether AI serves them or sidelines them. Those are questions employers, educators, and technologists will need to answer if they want to build trust with the next wave of workers and leaders.
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