Gen Z's Anger Over AI Surges as Belief in Learning Benefits Plummets

Gen Z's sentiment toward artificial intelligence has shifted sharply negative over the past year, with 31% now reporting the technology makes them angry—up 9 percentage points from 2025—while excitement has dropped to 22% from 36%, according to a Gallup survey released Thursday. The survey of over 1,500 Gen Z respondents ages 14 to 29 found that 83% of Gen Z adults believe AI designed to speed up tasks will make learning more difficult in the future.

Gallup, the Walton Family Foundation, and GSV Ventures conducted the survey between late February and early March 2026. The data reveals a sharp erosion in Gen Z's confidence in AI's educational utility: just 46% of respondents now agree that AI tools can help them learn faster, down from 53% a year earlier. Among K-12 students specifically, 74% said it is "" or "somewhat" likely that AI will make learning harder, though 52% of Gen Z K-12 students still acknowledge they will need to know how to use AI if they attend college.

Weekly AI usage among Gen Z has slowed to just over half the population at 51%, representing only a 4 percentage point increase from 2025. Concerns about AI's workplace impact appear to be driving some of the negativity: 48% of respondents said potential risks of AI outweigh benefits in the workplace, a sharp jump from 37% who held that view last year.

Stephanie Marken, senior partner at Gallup, said in a statement Thursday that "Gen Z isn't rejecting AI outright, but they are reassessing its role in their lives." She noted the generation "recognizes AI's utility but is increasingly concerned about its long-term impact on learning, trust and career readiness," and called for "more thoughtful integration of these tools in both school settings and the workplace."

Context

The survey arrives as major AI companies are aggressively expanding into higher education. Google announced in 2025 that it would invest $1 billion to provide AI tools and training to colleges and nonprofits, and over 200 institutions have enrolled in the program, including University of Pennsylvania and Texas A&M University. OpenAI has struck separate deals with Arizona State University, the University of South Carolina, and California State University to give students and employees access to its tools.

Faculty opposition to these partnerships is mounting. At California State University, more than 3,400 faculty members had signed a petition by Thursday urging the system's chancellor not to renew its $17 million contract with OpenAI when it expires at the end of June. The petition argues that ChatGPT Edu, the version built for colleges, provides inaccurate answers to student questions and harms teaching and learning.

What's Next

The California State University contract decision in June will test whether institutional leadership will respond to faculty concerns about AI integration, particularly given the growing skepticism among the students these tools are meant to serve. If Gen Z's negative trend continues, colleges may face pressure to recalibrate how they deploy AI systems or risk further alienating the generation they are trying to prepare for an AI-driven workforce. The gap between institutional investment in AI and student confidence in its educational value suggests a fundamental misalignment that will likely shape higher education policy over the next academic year.