[ExI] Why Gen Z dislikes AI

[BillK]

On Wed, 3 Jun 2026 at 22:56, spike jones via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
> I am seeing a disturbing lack of enthusiasm on the part of the young
however.  The prevailing attitude in the under 20 crowd is negative on AI.
I don’t know why.
>
> spike
>  _______________________________________________

Why not ask an AI why the young folk dislike AI?   :)
BillK

According to Perplexity AI -

Yes, there is a notable dislike and growing skepticism toward AI among the
under-21 age group, despite high usage rates.
Key findings on young people's attitudes toward AI:
Aspect Statistic / Finding
*Optimism declining* Only 18% of 14–29 year olds are optimistic about AI,
down from 27% last year
*Negative sentiment* Nearly 1/3 of young adults report feeling *anger*
toward AI
*More bad than good* 47% of under-30s say AI has been more harmful than
beneficial (highest of any age group)
*Daily use despite dislike* Over 50% of Gen Z regularly uses generative AI,
but many are curbing use
Main reasons for the dislike:

   1.

   *Job market fears* – Young people worry AI is taking over entry-level
   jobs they expected to rely on after graduation
   2.

   *Cognitive concerns* – 79% believe AI makes people lazier; 62% think it
   makes them less sharp. Many fear it harms their *creativity and critical
   thinking*
   3.

   *Academic integrity worries* – Fear of cheating accusations when using
   AI for schoolwork
   4.

   *Distrust of big tech* – Plain skepticism of corporations and
   institutions pushing AI as "the next big thing"
   5.

   *Environmental & privacy concerns* – AI's environmental impact and
   privacy breaches are cited by teens
   6.

   *Mental health parallels* – Having seen social media harm their
   generation's mental health, many see AI as an extension of that problem

This phenomenon is sometimes called the "*AI paradox*": more exposure and
fluency with AI correlates with less confidence and more negative feelings
about it.
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