(Credit: Qi Yang / Moment via Getty Images)
Gen Z has a complicated relationship with AI: They see it as a humanlike friend, but also as a foe that could replace their jobs and take over the world, according to a new study by EduBirdie.
A survey of 2,000 people found 25% think AI is "already conscious"; 50% say it isn't now but will be in the future. Most use it as a productivity tool (54%), but also as a friend (26%), therapist (16%), fitness coach (12%), and even a romantic partner (6%). They're also using it to help solve relationship spats, as one Redditor posted.
It's no surprise that social media parodies poke fun at AI-obsessed young people who are overly dependent on ChatGPT for basic functions like responding to a question.
In their conversations with tools like ChatGPT, most try to be polite, saying "please" and "thank you." Society has long grappled with how humans should interact with humanlike machines like Amazon's Alexa. Some parents worry that Alexa's high tolerance for rudeness instills poor behavior in their kids, according to Quartz. Others disagree, saying we should teach kids to be rude to machines to underscore the point that they are not human.
Perhaps they see the bot as their coworker because 62% of Gen Z folks use AI at work. With trends like agentic AI and models customized to perform specific job functions, this is already becoming a reality. At one point, OpenAI considered selling a $20,000 AI model to replace Ph.D.-level researchers.
But they have a complex relationship with AI in the workplace as well. Half think it will replace their jobs within a decade, prompting 40% to consider changing careers to "future-proof their livelihoods [and] stay one step ahead of the machines," the survey says.
Gen Z's ideas about AI's impacts go far beyond their own jobs. They have some serious concerns, with 58% thinking machines could take over the world and 44% expecting that to happen within 20 years. Could this cause some serious anxiety, or even an existential crisis?
Young people also admit that AI can do its job better than humans. More than half (57%) think it's better at creative tasks, such as image creators like Midjourney. That's not exactly confidence-building.
Some even think AI has made them "less competent" at work (13%), though more say it's made them more competent (35%). They're using ChatGPT to make their emails "more professional" (40%), brainstorm polite ways to say "no" (27%), and write responses to work chats (24%).
Most say they haven't shared any sensitive information (79%), but one-in-five (20%) say they have. Some employees have already been fired for this, so they may want to check their company's policies.
They seem to largely agree on one thing: No AI bosses. Only 9% say they would prefer that, noting that the AI might be "fairer, more neutral, more respectful, and even more 'human' than their real bosses," the survey says.
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