Younger workers are becoming more pessimistic about artificial intelligence even as they are among the most frequent users of AI tools, reflecting growing concerns that automation could disproportionately affect people at the beginning of their careers.
A new study by jobs and workplace review platform Glassdoor found a widening generational divide in attitudes toward AI. Workers in their 40s, 50s and 60s were generally more positive about the technology, while Gen Z workers expressed greater concern about its impact on employment.
The findings come as a growing body of research suggests that entry-level workers could be among the first to feel the effects of AI-driven automation.
An updated study by Stanford University economists found that employment among workers aged 22 to 25 in occupations highly exposed to AI was 19% lower than among their peers in less AI-exposed fields. The gap stood at 13% a year earlier.
Glassdoor senior economist Chris Martin said older workers may currently be better protected because of their experience and position within organisations.
“If you are a little more senior in your career, you are a little more insulated,” Martin said, according to Bloomberg.
Glassdoor’s research found that nearly half of Gen X workers, born between 1965 and 1980, viewed their companies’ use of AI positively, partly because they expected the technology to create new opportunities for more experienced employees.
Gen Z workers, by contrast, have entered the workforce at a time when AI is increasingly being used to automate tasks traditionally assigned to junior employees, including customer support, research and marketing content creation.
Experience becomes an advantage
The research suggests that experienced employees may also have an advantage in using generative AI effectively.
Workers with deeper professional knowledge are more likely to understand how to frame precise prompts, assess the quality of AI-generated responses and identify inaccuracies or hallucinations.
This may partly explain the growing demand for senior-level workers. Job postings for senior positions increased by 14.7% in the year leading up to May 2026, while entry-level postings fell by 6.3%, according to Indeed.
Stanford researchers similarly found that declining opportunities for younger workers in AI-exposed occupations were primarily reflected in fewer jobs rather than lower wages.
Despite these concerns, Gen Z remains one of the most active groups in adopting AI.
More than three-quarters of Gen Z workers have used standalone AI tools, compared with just over one-third of Gen X, according to Deloitte research.
The contrast suggests that younger workers are not necessarily rejecting AI itself. Instead, their concern may be centred on what the technology means for the jobs they are trying to enter.
As companies increasingly automate routine entry-level work, familiarity with AI may therefore become both a necessity and a source of anxiety for the generation entering the workforce alongside the technology.
