A recent survey indicates that younger workers harbor more skepticism and concerns about the implications of artificial intelligence on their careers compared to their older counterparts.
Generation Z Americans are particularly critical, with merely a third of younger workers expressing a positive outlook on AI’s workplace impact, as revealed by an analysis from Glassdoor. In contrast, nearly half of Generation X workers — those born between 1965 and 1980 — view AI more favorably.
Chris Martin, a senior economist at Glassdoor, shared his surprise over these findings. “We usually assume that younger workers would be more at ease and optimistic regarding technology,” he told CBS News.
Martin attributes the younger generation's negative perceptions to worries about how AI could jeopardize their job prospects. “There’s substantial evidence that AI is taking over entry-level positions, which are the most vulnerable to automation,” he noted. This shift could present increasing challenges for younger workers, as AI alters the landscape of job opportunities available to them compared to those two decades ago.
Many employees voiced fears of losing their jobs to AI, while others expressed frustration at being compelled to adopt AI technologies in their daily tasks. Additional concerns arose over companies potentially prioritizing AI over essential business functions. A notable fraction of the workforce criticized the use of AI for internal communication and even for monitoring employee activities.
In contrast, older employees, who generally hold more secure positions within their organizations, tend to view AI tools, such as large language models, as enhancing their roles. Martin emphasized that they recognize greater benefits from AI, even though it can sometimes generate inaccuracies or incorrect information that necessitates oversight by experienced professionals.
“Expert workers can easily spot and correct those errors, while younger or less seasoned individuals might struggle to differentiate between reliable information and AI-generated inaccuracies,” he said.
Glassdoor's findings also highlighted a gender divide in opinions about AI. Female employees generally expressed more negativity, with only 21% of Gen Z women viewing the technology favorably, compared to 42% of their male peers.
Furthermore, separate research from LinkedIn indicates that the surge in AI-related job opportunities exacerbates the existing gender disparities in the tech sector, with women increasingly underrepresented among new hires for these positions.
