Gen Z Polls Reveal AI Attitude Turns Less Hopeful, More Angry, Anxious

As BB King (Google him) was known to sing, "the thrill is gone, baby." Recent polls reveal that Gen Zers recognize they have to be able to use AI, but don't seem excited or hopeful about it. 

Much of this has to do with AI's impact on hiring, especially for the entry level positions for which Gen Zers are most likely to apply, but it may also signal a growing awareness that tech generally and AI specifically will primarily advantage the few rather than the many. JL

Avery Lotz reports in Axios:

The share of Gen Z respondents who agree that AI makes them excited fell from 36% last year to 22% in 2026. A smaller share feel hopeful (18%) this year than last (27%) — and a larger share say they feel angry (22% to 31%). That rising anger may be driven by AI dimming prospects for entry-level workers. Gen Z's adoption of AI in daily life is largely unchanged from last year's survey, with just over half saying they use the tech daily (22%) or weekly (29%). Plateaued usage "speaks to the the reticent acceptance that this technology is here to stay." (52%) agree they'll have to know how to use it

Gen Z's sentiment toward artificial intelligence has shifted in the last year, with teens and 20-somethings less excited about the tech — and more angry, according to a newly released report.

Why it matters: Despite a growing share of workplace leaders and some higher ed institutions embracing AI, a generation that's grown up online remains skeptical about its impact on learning and professional skills.

By the numbers: The share of Gen Z respondents who agree that AI makes them excited fell from 36% last year to 22% in 2026, per the findings from the Walton Family Foundation, GSV Ventures and Gallup.

• Additionally, a smaller share feel hopeful (18%) this year than last (27%) — and a larger share say they feel angry (22% to 31%).
• That rising anger may be driven by AI dimming prospects for entry-level workers, says Gallup Senior Education Researcher Zach Hrynowski. The oldest Zoomers, he points out, are the angriest.
• Gen Z, who grew up as digital natives, is perhaps more "acutely aware" of AI's impact versus someone in their mid career who "is playing around with AI, but doesn't feel threatened by it to the extent that maybe Gen Z does," he says.

The fine print: Gen Zers' feelings about AI, the report notes, are closely linked with how much they use the tech: Daily AI users are more curious, excited and hopeful than even weekly users.

• Still, even daily users are less excited and hopeful than they were last year.

One might expect for AI use to slip with sentiment. But Gen Z's adoption of AI in daily life is largely unchanged from last year's survey, with just over half saying they use the tech daily (22%) or weekly (29%).

• Hrynowski says that the plateaued usage "speaks to the the reticent acceptance that this technology is here to stay." 

• Gen Z may not be excited about adopting the tech — but they recognize they may have to: Despite apprehension around AI, a majority of Gen Z K-12 students (52%) agree they'll have to know how to use it for college or classes after high school. That's up from 47% last year.

What we're watching: The increasingly skeptical generation is also an increasingly prepared one.

• More than half of K-12 students (56%) say they'll have the skills to use AI daily after they graduate high school, compared to 44% last year.