Gen Z workers are rapidly transforming the modern workplace through widespread adoption of AI chatbots and tools, fundamentally changing how young professionals approach their daily tasks and career development. Abigail Carlos, a 26-year-old media strategist at Warner Bros. Discovery, exemplifies this trend, using ChatGPT and Perplexity to organize complex team assignments and draft professional communications. “AI cuts my workload in half,” Carlos reports, noting she uses these tools for everything from email composition to LinkedIn profile optimization.
Google’s survey of over 1,000 knowledge workers revealed that 93% of Gen Z respondents use two or more AI tools weekly, while Randstad found Gen Zers use AI more frequently than older colleagues across administrative tasks and problem-solving. This generation, which recently surpassed baby boomers in US workforce representation and is expected to comprise over a quarter of the global workforce in 2025, “grew up seamlessly intertwined with technology,” according to Deborah Golden, Deloitte’s US chief innovation officer.
Young professionals like Monique Buksh, a 22-year-old Australian paralegal, leverage specialized AI tools including Westlaw Edge, Lexis+, Grammarly, and Claude for legal research, document drafting, and contract analysis. Josh Schreiber, a 21-year-old HR intern at Coinbase, uses Otter.ai to transcribe meetings, allowing him to focus on discussions rather than note-taking. He compares AI adoption to the early computing revolution, arguing that “Gen Z workers who choose to embrace AI will outperform all those around them.”
However, significant concerns are emerging about this heavy AI reliance. A TalentLMS survey found 40% of Gen Z AI users believe the technology hinders their growth by completing tasks they could have learned from. Research from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University discovered that increased AI use correlates with reduced critical thinking skills. Perhaps most troubling, half of Gen Z respondents in a Workplace Intelligence and INTOO survey reported turning to AI for guidance instead of their managers.
The trend is partly driven by job security fears—over 12,000 positions were eliminated due to AI in 2024, with McKinsey forecasting entry-level roles face the highest automation risk. A Microsoft and LinkedIn survey of 31,000 workers found 71% of leaders prefer hiring AI-skilled candidates, while nearly 80% would assign greater responsibilities to AI-savvy employees. Yet experts warn this creates a workplace divide, with companies often providing AI training exclusively to younger workers while overlooking older employees’ potential.
Key Quotes
AI cuts my workload in half. I look at using it as working smarter, not harder.
Abigail Carlos, a 26-year-old media strategist at Warner Bros. Discovery, describes how AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Perplexity have transformed her workflow, allowing her to automate tedious tasks and focus on higher-level creative work.
Gen Z workers who choose to embrace AI will outperform all those around them.
Josh Schreiber, a 21-year-old HR intern at Coinbase, draws parallels between today’s AI adoption and the early computing revolution, arguing that embracing technological change is essential for career success and competitive advantage.
There is a real risk of weakening Gen Z’s ability to navigate ambiguity and build the interpersonal skills that are essential in any workplace.
Deborah Golden, Deloitte’s US chief innovation officer, warns about the potential downsides of over-reliance on AI, emphasizing that collaboration and innovation thrive on human interaction and that AI shortcuts could undermine critical soft skills development.
With AI handling time-consuming work, I’m able to focus more on discussions around strategy, professional development, and problem-solving with my managers. Soft skills, like communication and critical thinking, will play an even larger role in the future.
Monique Buksh, a 22-year-old law student and paralegal in Australia, explains how AI tools for legal research and document drafting have freed her time for higher-value activities, while recognizing the growing importance of uniquely human capabilities.
Our Take
This article captures a pivotal moment in workplace evolution where generational AI adoption creates both unprecedented opportunity and concerning risks. The data is striking: 93% weekly AI usage among Gen Z, with 71% of leaders prioritizing AI skills over traditional experience. Yet the counterbalancing statistics—40% feeling AI hinders learning, 50% preferring AI over manager guidance—reveal a generation potentially trading long-term skill development for short-term efficiency gains.
The most critical insight is the emerging skills bifurcation: companies offering AI training primarily to younger workers while neglecting older employees risk creating an artificial competency divide that could accelerate age discrimination. The real competitive advantage will belong to organizations that teach AI discernment—knowing when to leverage automation versus when human judgment, creativity, and relationship-building are irreplaceable. As one dissenting Gen Z voice noted, some of 2024’s best ideas came from human brainstorming, not ChatGPT. The future belongs not to AI maximalists or resisters, but to those who master the balance.
Why This Matters
This story represents a fundamental shift in workplace dynamics and professional development as the largest generational cohort enters the workforce with AI-native skills and expectations. The widespread adoption of AI tools by Gen Z workers signals a permanent transformation in how work gets done, with profound implications for productivity, skill development, and intergenerational workplace dynamics.
The dual-edged nature of this trend demands attention: while AI proficiency is becoming a job prerequisite and can dramatically enhance productivity, over-reliance risks stunting critical thinking development and interpersonal skills that remain uniquely human. The finding that half of Gen Z workers prefer AI guidance over manager mentorship suggests potential erosion of traditional workplace learning and relationship-building.
For businesses, this creates both opportunity and obligation—companies must balance leveraging Gen Z’s AI fluency while ensuring comprehensive training across all age groups to prevent a skills-based divide. The trend also accelerates pressure on educational institutions and employers to teach not just AI usage, but critical evaluation of when AI is appropriate versus when human judgment is essential. As Gen Z becomes a quarter of the global workforce, their AI-first approach will reshape organizational culture, productivity expectations, and the very definition of workplace competence.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-using-ai-chatbots-chatgpt-claude-work-career-jobs-2025-2