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Artificial intelligence is completely changing the way we go about our daily lives. Examples abound: Google Gemini’s diagnosis for your cold, your iPhone’s AI-powered photo editing, or ChatGPT’s itinerary for your next vacation. But of all the places AI impacts our lives, nowhere is greater than in the workplace.
Just three years ago, only half of organisations reported that employees were using AI at work on a day-to-day basis. Today, that number is nearly 80%, signalling a widespread expansion of AI use in the workplace, accelerated by the popularisation of ChatGPT and other LLMs with new capabilities.
One generation in particular, however, is leading this AI adoption: Gen Z. The first truly digital-native generation is embracing AI faster and more fluently than anyone else. Their approach pushes boundaries and forces workplaces to rethink AI’s usefulness. They’re redefining productivity, creativity, and innovation—and they’re not waiting for anyone’s approval.
Picture this: Your youngest employee arrives at work and uses AI to draft a client proposal, analyse a dataset, and automate a report, all before lunch. This is the type of productivity that AI can unlock.
In fact, nearly one-third of Gen Z employees report that AI makes them 50% more productive at work, compared to just 16% of baby boomers. And Gen Z isn’t just using AI for routine tasks like drafting emails or reports; 33% say they’re also applying it to emotionally complex tasks, like writing performance reviews or handling conflict with a colleague.
They’re also using it for other, more sensitive tasks—personnel actions, high-stakes decision making, and decisions impacting safety—often without approval from their employers.
On the other side of the workforce spectrum, baby boomers are using AI the least. Only 21% use it daily, and only 16% feel it makes them more productive. A lack of comfort and confidence drives this hesitance. Only half of baby boomers understand how to use AI effectively, compared to over 75% of Gen Z and millennials.
Baby boomers apply AI for slightly different tasks than their Gen Z colleagues. Rather than relying on ChatGPT to help draft a potentially sensitive email, they largely depend on the technology for research, content creation, and data analysis—all of which correlate more closely with how business leaders think employees are using AI tools.
However, there’s a catch to Gen Z’s familiarity with AI: For all its benefits, the generation also reports limitations and drawbacks. As confident users—77% report feeling proficient in AI— a solid 62% of Gen Z reports seeing poor-quality outputs. And 24% report feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of AI tools available.
To make this relationship even more complex, Gen Z has heightened concerns about workplace AI use. As the youngest generation and the one making up most entry-level roles, 62% of Gen Z express concerns that AI may replace their jobs within the next 10 years. On the flip side, just 6% of directors and VP-level executives worry about AI threatening their job security.
So, how can leadership solve this dilemma without stifling AI adoption and innovation?
What leaders can learn from Gen Z
As they actively explore AI’s workplace use and push the boundaries of its potential, Gen Z highlights the need for thoughtful implementation. Instead of dismissing Gen Z’s AI habits as reckless or naïve, leaders might view Gen Z’s experimentation with AI as a roadmap for broader organisational adoption.
Gen Z’s everyday comfort with AI perfectly exemplifies the technology’s broad applicability. Rather than punish younger employees for using AI for high-stakes or sensitive work, leaders can understand that this stems from a vacuum of guidance. Companies moving beyond general usage policies could implement organisation- and role-specific guardrails to better control when and how AI is used.
Additionally, Gen Z is more likely than any other generation to double-check AI outputs (55% say they do so regularly), but baby boomers aren’t following suit. Gen Z understands that AI is still an emerging technology prone to errors and limitations. Leaders should encourage this behaviour, not look down on it. Create spaces for questions, audits, and open discussions about how to yield the best-quality output.
Gen Z is telling leaders exactly where guardrails are needed, training is lacking, and tools need to be simplified. Leaders wanting to stay ahead should heed the guidance of their youngest staff members.
AI is here to stay, but how it gets deployed is still to be determined. So where should leaders begin?
Bridge the generational gap so that all generations contribute to the conversation. Set clear, evolving AI guidelines defining what’s encouraged and what isn’t. And don’t just invest in platforms, invest in talent, providing the support necessary to succeed with AI. Leaders must keep up, not just with AI, but with the people driving it.
Rich Veldran is the CEO of GoTo.
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