Gen Z workers are leading the charge on AI in the workplace – but they’re still skeptical about the hype

Hybrid work concept image showing a mixture of Gen Z and millennial workers sitting at desks working on computers in an open plan office space. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Gen Z staff want AI at work, but they're not completely buying the hype surrounding the technology.

That's according to a study from workforce management solutions company UKG, which found that 84% of all US employees surveyed want AI to handle some of their tasks.

Nine-in-ten Gen Z employees believe AI could save them time during the day, versus three-quarters of Gen X workers and 59% of Boomers.

Notably, Gen Z staffers are more likely to teach themselves how to use the technology, with 70% telling the survey they'd upskilled themselves versus 58% of GenX employees and 40% of Boomers — that's key as the rise in AI has sparked a skills shortage.

ITPro approached UKG for the full data to see what happened to millennials in this research, which showed a similar number (62%) have taught themselves AI skills needed for work.

Similarly, 40% of millennials also believe senior figures at their organizations don’t fully understand the benefits of the technology. This aligns with younger generations, the report shows.

Half of Gen Z employees don't think their bosses understand the actual benefits of AI — ironic given UKG's 2023 survey showed only a quarter of C-suite leaders believed Gen Z employees understood how AI could help them in the workplace.

"The latest survey results suggest the opposite may be true, and highlight a potential disconnect between the junior members adopting the tools and senior leaders setting the strategy," the company said in a statement.

Research from earlier this year raised the issue of friction between business leaders and staff over AI in the workforce, with 42% of respondents to a poll saying it was tearing the company apart.

How AI could help at work

Instead, 84% of all polled, regardless of age, believe that AI is best at specific tasks rather than automating an entire role, with 89% saying AI is a tool, not a co-worker.

According to the study, half of polled workers believe AI could be useful at automating some repetitive or routine tasks, with 42% saying the same for data-intensive work.

The survey found employees would trust AI to summarize company policies (83%), create a personalized work schedule (81%), verify that their paycheck and timecard is correct (78%) and manage time-off requests (74%).

"Since our 2023 study, we’ve seen a meaningful shift in employees’ trust in and understanding of AI at work," said Vittal.

"Just two years ago, over half of employees had ‘no idea’ how their organization was using AI. Today, about two-in-five employed Americans (39%) are hopeful about how it can improve their role – a sign that may point to increased transparency, dialogue, and education on the many effective uses for AI in the workplace."