Gen Z is entering the workforce with a growing fear of AI replacement

Young adults are among the heaviest users of artificial intelligence, but many are becoming increasingly uneasy about what the technology could mean for their careers. A new Pew Research Center survey found that 55% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 29 are more concerned than excited about AI, up from 39% in 2024.

Job security is a major part of that shift. Pew found that 73% of adults under 30 think AI will lead to fewer jobs in the United States over the next 20 years, compared with 61% in 2024. That fear is arriving just as many young adults are trying to land their first full-time jobs.

Concern among young adults has climbed fast

The change in mood is especially clear when Pew’s results are compared over time. In 2021, 31% of adults under 30 said they were more concerned than excited about AI. The share rose to 55% in 2026, while only 11% now say they are more excited than concerned.

The latest survey was conducted June 22-28 among 3,488 U.S. adults. Pew said the results represent the U.S. adult population. Young adults are not alone in worrying about AI, but their concern has grown more steadily than it has among several older age groups.

That does not mean most young adults reject AI. Many use it regularly for information, work, and other tasks. The tension is that the same group that has become comfortable using AI tools is also increasingly worried about how those tools may change the jobs available to them.

Job-loss fears are driving the shift

Pew’s latest survey found that 71% of all U.S. adults think AI will lead to fewer jobs over the next two decades. Among adults ages 18 to 29, the share is slightly higher at 73%. Only a small share of Americans expect AI to create more jobs overall.

Those results measure expectations, not confirmed future job losses. Economists still disagree about how quickly AI will replace tasks, create new roles, or change the mix of skills employers need. The long-term effect will depend on how businesses use the technology and how workers adapt.

Even so, the fear is understandable for people at the start of their careers. Entry-level jobs often include research, writing, data work, and routine office tasks that newer AI systems can assist with. That makes young workers especially alert to changes in hiring for those kinds of roles.

The entry-level market is already difficult

The broader job market for recent college graduates has been challenging. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said the unemployment rate for recent graduates ages 22 to 27 was about 5.6% in the second quarter of 2026.

Underemployment is another pressure point. The New York Fed said 42% of recent college graduates were underemployed in the second quarter, meaning they were working in jobs that typically do not require a college degree. That figure does not prove AI caused the problem.

In fact, recent research warns against making that leap. The OECD said in August that weaker labor-market outcomes for young people began before the rapid spread of large language models. A slower hiring environment, limited experience, and other economic forces also affect young workers.

Research shows an early warning, not a verdict

Stanford’s August 2026 update found that employment among workers ages 22 to 25 in highly AI-exposed occupations was 19% below what it would have been if it had kept pace with comparable, less-exposed peers overall.

The researchers found no widespread economy-wide job displacement and said the pattern is descriptive, not causal. Their tests did not support interest rates, remote work, technology firms, computer occupations, or alternative measures of AI exposure as full explanations.

The ILO estimates that 1 in 4 jobs worldwide has some exposure to generative AI, but says job transformation is more likely than full replacement because many tasks still require people.

Young workers are heavy AI users

The concern is striking because younger adults are also among the most active AI users. In a February Pew survey, 66% of adults ages 18 to 29 said they used AI chatbots, compared with 49% of U.S. adults overall.

Young adults also reported using the tools at work. Among employed adults ages 18 to 29, 41% said they used chatbots for work tasks. Nearly a third of adults in that age group said they used AI chatbots daily.

That experience could become an advantage. Workers who understand how to use AI, check its output, and combine it with human judgment may be better prepared for jobs that change rather than disappear. Recent skills research also places growing emphasis on AI literacy alongside broader workplace skills.

Skills are becoming part of the response

A 2026 ILO report found that AI adoption is reshaping the skills needed across modern workplaces.

The report highlighted growing demand for higher-order cognitive, socioemotional, digital, data science, and AI skills. It also described AI literacy, adaptability, resilience, and human agency as increasingly important capabilities.

For young workers, preparation extends beyond mastering one AI tool. Communication, problem-solving, critical judgment, teamwork, and verifying AI output can remain valuable as technologies and job requirements continue to change rapidly.

The future is still being written

The strongest current evidence does not support the idea that AI has already caused mass unemployment. Stanford researchers said in August that they found no widespread economy-wide job displacement, even though some early-career workers in highly AI-exposed occupations may be feeling more pressure.

The OECD also says current evidence does not show AI is the main cause of weaker job prospects for young workers. At the same time, both organizations suggest that the technology is changing quickly, so today’s labor-market picture may not predict what happens several years from now.

For Gen Z, that uncertainty is part of the problem. Many young adults are entering work just as companies decide how much AI to adopt and which tasks to automate. Their concern is real, but the evidence still points to a changing job market rather than a simple future in which AI replaces an entire generation.

TL;DR:

• Pew found that 55% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 29 are more concerned than excited about AI, up from 39% in 2024.
• About 73% of adults under 30 think AI will lead to fewer U.S. jobs over the next 20 years.
• Recent college graduates face a difficult labor market, with about 5.6% unemployment and 42% underemployment in the second quarter of 2026.
• Research suggests AI may be affecting some entry-level jobs, but it has not been proven to be the main cause of weaker hiring for young workers.
• Young adults are also heavy AI users, making AI literacy, judgment, adaptability, and communication increasingly useful career skills.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.