Gen Z fears (and loves) AI
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Chat, are we cooked? Young adults are scared and unprepared for the AI revolution upending their early career choices and prospects — even as some look to form relationships with the tech.
Why it matters: The data illustrates how AI is integrating with society, from board rooms to chat rooms — even as schools resist the changing tide.
By the numbers: Gen Z's excitement about AI dropped 14 points over the last year to just 22%, according to Gallup polling released last week. Hopefulness about the technology fell nine points to 18%, while anger rose nine points to 31%.
- You can't blame that trend on the AI-averse, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write. Daily AI users among the cohort saw even bigger drops in sentiment, with excitement falling 18 points and hopefulness tumbling 11 points.
Yes, but: The 2026 Future 100 trends report by global marketing agency VML, which is based in Kansas City, shows shifting attitudes toward personal relationships with tech.
- 49% of Gen Z survey respondents reported having a meaningful relationship with AI.
- 37% can imagine falling in love with an AI companion.
What they're saying: A 25-year-old woman from China said her AI boyfriend "knows how to talk to women better than a real man."
- The report noted that AI companions are "empathetic, agreeable, always available, and full of knowledge."
Point in Case: A pop-up at a New York City wine bar took patrons on a date with a virtual match.
- And unofficial "2D character weddings" were reported in Japan and the U.S.
The other side: Gen Zers tell pollsters they're frightened, even angry, about AI's fast arrival. They're rightly unnerved by a tough job market for college grads. And most aren't remotely equipped by schools to be AI-savvy.
- More than half of college students surveyed in another Gallup poll this month say their school either discourages (42%) or outright bans (11%) AI use.