Guiding Gen Z Through The Age of AI

For Gen Z, AI is not just a tool. It’s actively defining their future and shaping how they learn, work, and make decisions. To understand how young people are navigating that reality, the Walton Family Foundation partnered with Gallup to survey over a thousand Gen Z students and young adults across the nation.

THE BIG PICTURE: Understanding how to use AI is no longer optional for Gen Z, both in school and in the workforce. More than half use it regularly, often as a first stop for finding information, and at least four in ten also use it for writing, brainstorming, and decision-making. But routine use has not translated into confidence. What the survey findings reveal is a generation that is curious and cautious in equal measure, and one that is asking for thoughtful policies and guidance to help them responsibly navigate what comes next.

Gen Z sees AI’s potential to shape their futures, but they remain hesitant about what that means.

• Among K-12 students, 52% believe they will need to know how to use AI in postsecondary education, and nearly as many say the same about their future careers. They expect it to show up in college and in their careers, and they know that understanding how to use it will matter. 
• At the same time, skepticism is growing. Among Gen Z workers, 48% now believe AI’s risks outweigh its benefits—up from 36% just a year ago — while only 15% see it as a net positive. Rather than viewing AI as a straightforward advantage, they are beginning to question what it might replace or disrupt.
• Optimism hasn’t disappeared entirely. Between 45% and 56% of Gen Z believe AI can help them learn and work faster. But they’re holding that hope alongside real concern.

Gen Z is asking schools for guidance that will help them use it well. And schools are beginning to respond.

THE TAKEAWAY: Gen Z is looking for support in navigating AI. Between 45% and 56% believe AI can help them learn and work faster, yet 8 in 10 also worry it may come at a cost to how deeply they learn. That tension is exactly where schools and policymakers can make a difference by setting clear guardrails and building AI literacy into how the next generation learns and prepares for careers. Done well, that means students who engage with AI not from a place of anxiety, but from a place of confidence and skill.