Young people have grown increasingly skeptical of artificial intelligence, even those who use it daily, according to a new Gallup poll of more than 1,500 people aged 14 to 29.
There is no decline in AI use among Gen Zers, but there is also no increase since the same poll was conducted in 2025. The latest poll found that AI use was plateauing among young users, accompanied by rising concern about the technology’s consequences.
The findings are significant because Gen Z is “the generation most likely to enter or grow within the workforce over the next decade,” the report notes, meaning that their adoption could determine the trajectory of broader societal AI adoption. Gen Z has already overtaken Boomers in the workforce. Right now, the AI world is preparing for a massive jump in expected demand, and the top tech and financial companies are investing billions upon billions of dollars into building out the supply. Experts have warned that if demand does not pan out exactly as expected in the short term, then it could have disastrous consequences for the economy.
I am once again asking you to petition your local school boards to block generative AI usage by students and teachers alike. AI is being pushed on these kids at a young age, and I feel with the downward-trending attention span of Gen Alpha and Gen Z, that will form into a lifelong dependency. Plus, the loss of the licenses from the school system will be a significant dent in the AI metrics.
Here are some demands: block ChatGPT/Gemini/Copilot/DeepSeek on school networks (like porn and gaming sites are blocked); prohibit use of AI-generated images and text on assignments and teaching materials; ensure no assignments will require or recommend the use of AI output at any point.
These suggestions are based on reports I’ve heard from students. Please feel free to comment your own recommendations or information.
Why do you feel this technology is safe for adults to use if you think its harmful to students?
I absolutely do not. I’m focused on one in-road to AI usage. My mind has been gravitating toward schools as they are run according to local government boards that people can reasonably challenge and get a seat on, and to whom the representatives are much more accountable and much easier to persuade.
It’s a lot more difficult to stop, say, a corporate middle manager from pushing AI on their employees. Though, to that point, employees can leave jobs, where students have much less agency over what the school curriculum is, and could be coerced into AI dependency by that school authority (which I have heard happening). Child and young adult brains are also far more malleable, and I fear AI dependency would have a worse, perhaps irreversible, effect.
Thank you for prompting me to clarify ^^
Where did they say they think it’s safe for adults?
As a system admin. We already do this during exams and these fucking kids still figure out how to bypass shit
We had one the other day use Google chrome remote desktop (had no idea that was a thing) to remote hone bypassing the exam network block
Only reason we caught them early rather than doing grading was because the idiot uploaded their final answers from their home PC
Why aren’t they doing the exams with a pen and paper?
Perhaps they will. You will always have bad actors. My suggestions are really more focused on the messaging those kids get from schools.
I have heard that many students have gotten assignments on which one of the requirements is to use Text/Image generation, or for which they are a suggested tool. Stopping students from being encouraged to use AI is far more important (and far easier) than stopping every kid from cheating on assignments with it.
Yes I agree.
However sadly I am not the one teaching. I just run the magic curtain of user management and internal servers
why do they need internet access during the exam?
Trust me I am also confused by this but it mostly boils down to “you can’t expect these kids to not be idiots who show up logged out of office or whatever”
That sentence suggests so many layers of dysfunction.
Have you considered they dont need any of this technology to learn? That it might actually introduce confusion and distraction which will reduce attention and focus?
Oral lectures are going to become the standard again by a few years time, I bet.
Keep dreaming