Is Generation Z more fearful of AI than older workers in office?

Generation Z hasn't been on the job market long enough to have experienced a major technological revolution. Image: Shutterstock

In the collective imagination, Gen Zers spend most of their time on screens. They might therefore have a natural aptitude for working with artificial intelligence. But this seems not to be the case, as Gen Z appears to be more afraid than their elders of ending up jobless due to this technology.

More than 30% of 18-24-year-olds are afraid that the rollout of AI will have a dramatic effect on the job market, according to an Indeed* survey relayed by Fortune magazine. Their older colleagues are less alarmist, with only 15% of those over 45 fearing that they could lose their job due to artificial intelligence.

This may be explained by the fact that members of Generation Z have not been on the job market long enough to have experienced a major technological revolution, unlike their elders. "My hypothesis is that older workers have seen this story before. They lived through the rise of the PC, they lived through the rise of the internet," Hannah Calhoon, Indeed’s head of AI innovation, told Fortune.

The fears of young workers are certainly amplified by some rather pessimistic reports. The American bank Goldman Sachs has estimated that generative artificial intelligence systems, like ChatGPT, could impact around 300 million full-time jobs worldwide. Researchers at OpenAI and the University of Pennsylvania have calculated that around 80% of the US workforce could have at least 10% of their work tasks affected by the introduction of AI tools. They argue that the most highly qualified workers will have to prepare for more adjustments in the way they work than those with fewer qualifications.