Exposure≠Trust: What Gen Z's Fading Enthusiasm Tells Us About AI in Education and Work

"Keep trying it and you will learn to love it" — a phrase parents have used on generations of children to get them to eat their broccoli. It's also a core narrative of artificial intelligence evangelists, rooted in the premise that exposure breeds confidence. But new Gen Z research from Gallup, the Walton Family Foundation, and GSV Ventures finds that using AI more does not necessarily make Gen Z feel better about the technology and its impact on their learning and future careers.

While Gen Z students are slightly more engaged with AI than older peers and increasingly recognize they will need AI skills for college and beyond, their enthusiasm is fading and concerns are rising about AI's impact on learning, creativity, and critical thinking.

Usage rates have flattened, daily users and overall adoption profiles today look remarkably similar to a year ago, which is unusual for a technology still in its early stages. More striking still, those who are using AI daily are less enthusiastic than they were a year ago. This unease extends into the workplace, where nearly half of employed Gen Zers believe the risks of AI outweigh its benefits and trust in AI-assisted work has declined in favor of human-only output, even as employers increasingly expect AI fluency from entry-level hires."This session examines the contradiction between what AI leaders and America's youth are saying, and asks: How do we help Gen Z get more comfortable using a technology that makes them nervous, but that they understand is here to stay?

Bringing together educators, students, and workforce leaders, this conversation will explore how K-12 education can move beyond access to build real competence, safeguard core skills, and prepare a generation that is both AI-capable and deeply human.