A recent Gallup poll found only 18% of Gen Z are hopeful about AI, down from 27%, while excitement fell to 22% from 36%.
Nearly half now say AI’s risks outweigh its benefits, despite 56% saying it speeds work, as many fear job losses, weaker learning, and damage to relationships and critical thinking.
The backlash also reflects resentment at universities and employers pushing chatbots into study and hiring, alongside concerns over data centres, environmental costs, disinformation and social stigma around AI use.
With AI erasing 16,000 jobs monthly, are young workers facing a planned obsolescence of their careers?
If AI is proven to degrade critical thinking, why are universities investing millions to integrate it into classrooms?
As AI data centers create toxic 'heat islands,' can we afford the hidden environmental cost of this tech boom?