Episode 32 May 02, 2026

Why Gen Z Hates AI Despite Using It More

The more young people use AI… the more they seem to hate it. n this episode, Rowan and Naya react to a Verge article exploring why Gen Z’s opinion of AI is getting worse—even as usage increases. From fears about job loss to the growing stigma aro und “cheating,” they break down why more exposure to AI isn’t leading to more trust. Is this just a phase… or something deeper? In this episode: • Why Gen Z is turning against AI • AI and job anxiety for younger workers • The stigma of using AI at school and work • Why using AI can feel like cheating • How more AI usage reveals its flaws The more we use AI… are we supposed to like it more—or question it more?

Show Notes

The More You Use AI… The Less You Like It? Why Gen Z's Relationship With AI Is Getting Complicated

Spoiler alert: The more young people use AI, the more skeptical they become about it.

This counterintuitive finding from The Verge challenges everything we thought we knew about technology adoption. While AI usage among Gen Z continues to climb, trust and enthusiasm are moving in the opposite direction. In this episode of The AI Desk Podcast, hosts Rowan and Naya explore why increased exposure to artificial intelligence isn't translating into greater acceptance—and what that means for the future of AI adoption.

The pattern is clear: more usage doesn't equal more trust. In fact, it might reveal the opposite. As younger workers and students integrate AI tools into their daily workflows, they're encountering a growing list of concerns that weren't as visible when these technologies were still in the "honeymoon phase."

The AI Job Anxiety That Hits Different

For Gen Z workers, the threat of AI isn't some distant, theoretical concern. It's immediate and real.

Unlike previous technological revolutions, artificial intelligence doesn't just assist with entry-level tasks—it replaces them. Tasks that younger workers traditionally used to build their skills and break into their industries are now being completed by AI.

This creates a unique psychological burden:

**Job displacement anxiety:** Entry-level work, research, writing, and creative tasks are being automated before Gen Z even gets a chance to prove themselves
**Skills development gap:** How do you gain experience when the "junior version" of your job is already automated?
**Career path uncertainty:** The traditional ladder is being removed before people can climb it

The fear isn't that AI will replace jobs in 2030—it's that it already is, in 2024.

The "Cheating" Stigma: Why AI Help Feels Like Dishonesty

Here's where things get psychologically complex. Even when AI tools are explicitly allowed in school and work environments, Gen Z users report feeling like they're cheating.

This represents a fundamental difference from previous technologies. No one felt guilty using Google or spell-check, but AI crosses into creative territory. When a tool can generate content, design, or code—something traditionally associated with individual skill—the emotional calculus changes.

The stigma manifests in several ways:

Using AI to assist with assignments or projects, then hesitating to mention it
Feeling like you didn't "earn" the work if AI played a significant role
Guilt even when usage is explicitly permitted
The perception that using AI undermines personal skill development

This identity-based conflict explains why increased usage breeds skepticism rather than acceptance. It's not just about efficiency anymore—it's about what using AI says about you.

More Usage, More Flaws: The Disillusionment Phase

The initial magic wears off fast.

When you first encounter AI, it feels revolutionary. But as you use these tools more, the limitations become impossible to ignore. AI produces confident hallucinations, generic responses, overly long outputs, and factually incorrect information with unsettling certainty.

More exposure reveals the gap between AI's capabilities and its actual, real-world performance. That's when skepticism begins to set in.

Is This Just a Phase?

Rowan raises a valid point: every technology goes through this correction phase. We're moving from uncritical hype ("AI is amazing!") to realistic assessment ("AI is useful but complicated").

But Naya identifies something deeper: AI hits identity in a way previous tools never did.

When a technology overlaps with how people define their skills and capabilities, it triggers different emotional responses. It's not just "Does this help me?" It becomes "What does using this say about my competence?"

What Comes Next?

The real question is whether this skepticism will eventually normalize—like our relationship with search engines—or whether people will remain perpetually conflicted about AI use.

Usage continues to rise. But trust continues to fall.

Key Takeaways

**The AI paradox:** Increased usage among Gen Z correlates with decreased trust, not increased acceptance
**Job anxiety is immediate:** Young workers fear AI replaces entry-level opportunities before they can gain experience
**Stigma creates guilt:** Using AI tools often feels like cheating, even when explicitly permitted
**Limitations become apparent:** More exposure reveals AI's flaws, hallucinations, and generic outputs
**Identity matters:** AI feels different than previous tools because it overlaps with personal skill development and professional identity
**The future is uncertain:** We don't yet know if skepticism will normalize or persist as a permanent feature of AI adoption

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About The AI Desk: The AI Desk Podcast cuts through hype to explore artificial intelligence's real impact on work, society, and culture. Hosts Rowan and Naya break down what AI actually does—and what it doesn't—helping listeners navigate an increasingly AI-driven world with skepticism and nuance.

Full Transcript

Welcome back to AI Desk, where the more we use AI, the more complicated it gets. I'm Rowan. And I'm Naya. In today's episode, we discuss an article that actually surprised me. Yeah, same. The headline goes against everything I'd expect. The Verge article we saw this morning was titled, "The more young people use AI, the more they hate it." Which feels backwards, so let's start there. What's the article actually saying? This episode is brought to you by Mad Cheetah and their new album, WTF, Where is the Forest? It's eco-pop engineered for the future. Bold beats, global rhythms, and a message that actually matters. If you want music that hits your brain and your heart, explore WTF by Mad Cheetah. That's M-A-D C-H-I-T-A. Streaming now on all major platforms. At a high level, Gen Z is using AI a lot, but their feelings about it are getting worse, not better. So more exposure, less enthusiasm? Exactly. Okay, why? Two main reasons, fear and stigma. Okay, let's talk about the obvious one first, jobs. Yeah. A lot of younger workers feel like AI is directly competing with them. Not in some abstract future sense, like right now. Exactly. Entry-level work, creative tasks, research, writing, things people expected to start their careers with. That's interesting because historically, new tools help people. Yes, but this one feels different. Because it doesn't just assist, it replaces parts of the process. Right. If you're just starting out and AI can already do the junior version of your job, that's unsettling. So instead of, "This helps me," it feels like, "This skips me." That's exactly it. Okay. The second part is more surprising, the stigma. Yeah, this one is fascinating. A lot of Gen Z users feel like using AI is kind of cheating. Even when it's allowed? Even then. That's wild. It shows up in school, work, even creative projects. So you use AI to help with something- And then you hesitate to say you did. Because it feels like you didn't earn it. Exactly. That's a really different reaction than previous tech. It is. No one felt guilty using Google. Or spellcheck. Right. But AI crosses into creation, not just assistance. There's also something we've talked about before. Hmm. The frustration? Yeah. You use AI more, and you start noticing its flaws more. Exactly. At first, it feels magical. Then you hit the edge cases. It's wrong or too long or too generic. Or confidently incorrect. So more usage doesn't just build trust- It also exposes limitations. Okay. I'm going to push back a little. Go. I think this is normal. Uh, meaning? Every new technology goes through this phase. Explain. At first, it's hype. Everything feels exciting. Then people actually use it, and reality sets in. So this is the correction phase? Exactly. We're moving from, "AI is amazing," to, "AI is useful, but complicated." I mostly agree, but I think there's something deeper here. What do you mean? AI hits identity in a way other tools didn't. That's interesting. If AI writes, designs, codes, it starts to overlap with how people define their skills. So it's not just, "This helps me." It's, "What does this say about me?" That's a very different emotional reaction. So we have this weird situation. Yeah. People are using AI more than ever. And liking it less. That's rare. It is. Usually, usage drives acceptance. Here, it's driving skepticism. So what happens next? That's the real question. Do people get more comfortable with it? Or more resistant? Does it become like Google, just normal? Or something people always feel conflicted about? So maybe the takeaway is this, using AI doesn't automatically make you like it. In fact, it might do the opposite. The more you see what it can do... ... the more you have to figure out how you feel about it. That's it for today. Curious where the listeners land on this. Are you using AI more and liking it less? Or the opposite? We'll see you next time. Probably with more contradictions. This was the AI Desk, where today's signals reveal tomorrow's power. Stay aware, stay sharp, stay curious.