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.

Also read: Gen Z: Future of the workforce comes of age

In this context, it's hardly surprising that young people, who tend to have a higher level of education than their elders, feel overwhelmed by the scale of the changes that artificial intelligence could bring to their careers. Rest assured, however, that the uptake of this technology in companies is still at a relatively low level.

Newcomers to the job market can therefore anticipate their employers' future needs by training in AI. This will enable them to acquire new skills and increase their attractiveness at the dawn of what the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has dubbed the "AI revolution."

*This Indeed survey polled over 3,500 leaders and 3,743 jobseekers in the UK, USA, Canada, India, France, Japan and Germany.