10 Valid Reasons Younger Generations Hate AI Way More Than Boomers & Gen X
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According to a recent survey, most Gen Zers’ initial feelings of hope and excitement about AI tools are quickly being replaced by anxiety and anger as they've tried them and observed how they are used in the real world. These young people are regularly mocked and dismissed by boomers and Gen X, but it's hard to deny that there are many valid reasons younger generations hate AI way more than older people do. We all might want to give their thoughts some careful consideration.
Here are 10 valid reasons younger generations hate AI way more than boomers and Gen X
1. They’re already worried about the impact on climate change
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According to a 2021 study, more than 60% of Gen Zers describe themselves as very worried about climate change, with half stating that it causes them increased anxiety. Not only are they worried, but this anxiety also tends to influence their climate change advocacy, meaning young people are more likely to engage in protests in the name of helping the planet and environment.
Considering that rising AI demand directly impacts greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and water consumption, this is one of the top issues Gen Z is focused on. Especially with alarming studies coming out, like one showing that ChatGPT's water consumption is potentially unsustainable, young people hate AI more.
When people ask ChatGPT random questions in their daily lives that they could answer on their own, it’s even more aggravating, considering the potential consequences of these small, avoidable behaviors.
2. It dulls their creativity
Many young people, who are very driven by the idea of human purpose and meaning in their work, are offended by the constant use of AI, which they believe dulls their minds. They worry that these convenience-rooted tools are taking away original thought and removing creativity from everyday life. As a University of Pennsylvania study explains, they’re not wrong.
On social media and the internet, young people are inspired to be more creative by watching their peers. But regurgitating ideas and thoughts through AI tools like ChatGPT does quite the opposite, undermining their inspiration in the name of ease and convenience.
3. It puts them at risk of receiving misleading information
The more AI-generated misinformation young people come across, the more worried they are about the quality of information everyone has available to them on the internet. Especially when they’ve watched fake news and AI-generated content damage medical trust and increase polarization across different groups, they’re more hateful toward what they see as the root cause.
AI tools are subsequently taking away people’s abilities to think critically for themselves, while also increasing the amount of fake information and news they spread. Even though most older people may not recognize that what they’re reading or seeing online is fake, that’s still a sign of alarming AI usage and misleading content.
4. They’re worried about the future of learning
Many young people are worried about the future of learning and people’s abilities to think for themselves, largely because they’ve grown up and entered the workforce with AI tools at their fingertips. Maybe they curated a sense of critical thinking before swarms of technology, but they’re still facing the allure of convenience and experiencing the consequences of overusing it first-hand.
Many may also be worried about their younger siblings or their own children. If kids have access to these kinds of tools, will they overlook ease in favor of healthy, stimulating challenges?
5. They worry about the power of profit
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Despite collectively sharing many of the same fears and beliefs about AI with other generations, many young people worry that the allure of money and profit will overshadow their human futures. Especially when it comes to AI data centers and climate consequences, they worry more than anyone that it’s their futures that are actually at stake.
Especially when so many AI systems are designed to remove the need for human touch, there’s also a lack of responsibility when something goes wrong. They’re seeking profit at the expense of understanding the outcomes and processes. For a generation like Gen Z, who are practically obsessed with accountability, this feeds their anger.
6. They’re already frustrated with the job market
Many of the myths that young people were offered growing up, like getting a college degree is all you need to succeed professionally, are unwinding in real time. Not only are many struggling to find a job, but they’re suffering at the hands of student loans they were socially pressured to take on, without a stable income to pay them off or support themselves.
With industry-wide layoffs driven by AI and a changing workforce, and with these new technological alternatives, Gen Zers are increasingly more resentful of shifts caused by AI and new technology.
7. They’re already anxious, and AI makes that worse
Gen Z and other young people are completely overwhelmed by stress and anxiety in their adult lives, according to APA’s Stress in America report. Whether it’s a lack of job security or general mental health crises exacerbated by social media and their phones, they’re battling all the practical stressors of adulthood and a million more generation-specific struggles.
Because they’re already collectively operating from a place of fear and anxiety, the uncertainty that AI brings into their lives only adds to it.
8. They want to feel hopeful about the future
According to a study from Elon University, many Gen Zers are holding on to hope about the future, compared to other generations. Especially with their generation’s ideals at the forefront, they’re hopeful they can make a difference and change norms that have felt restrictive and discriminatory in the past.
However, AI directly pushes back against that hope. Whether it’s the future of education, creativity and passion-driven jobs, or their economic stability, they’re frustrated that they’re the generation that has to spend their lives advocating against yet another profit-driven technology barrier.
9. They’re tired of not being heard
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On top of the myths that Gen Zers are constantly battling in regard to their generation, they feel relatively alone in their struggles and worries. With the added strain and mental health pressure that their phones and social media spark, worries about AI can feel all-encompassing.
Other generations can turn off their phones or avoid AI, but in their jobs and personal lives, most young people can’t turn a corner without having to provide discourse about these tools or even use them at work.
10. They consume more news online
With a culture of fake information, clickbait headlines driven by intense emotions, and a routine driven almost entirely around social media, it’s no surprise that Gen Z is more angry about AI. They’re more exposed to it, both as a tool at their disposal and also as the discourse that surrounds it, good and bad.
Of course, because they consume more news than anything else online, Gen Z is regularly overwhelmed by these global crises and issues. Even if their parents and grandparents can avoid this kind of discourse and stress online by staying more disconnected, they’re always subjected to the horror stories and negative think pieces about AI every time they open their phones.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
