The AI backlash is growing. Here’s how smart companies can adapt

If you told me two years ago that the demographic most hostile to AI would be Generation Z and younger, I would have thought you were out of your mind. Surely the younger generation, which has always been more technically adept, would want to use that to their advantage and embrace the technology, potentially making themselves more skilled, productive, and—above all—hirable. But that’s not what’s happening. In May, students booed speakers at graduation ceremonies all over the country when they mentioned artificial intelligence. Google’s chairman, Eric Schmidt, got hit when he tried to suggest to graduates at the University of Arizona that AI has world-changing potential. Gloria Caulfield, VP of strategic alliances for the investment firm and real estate developer Tavistock, inspired boos in a commencement speech at the University of Central Florida when she compared the rise of AI with the Industrial Revolution. And students at Middle Tennessee State University shouted at Scott Borchetta, CEO of Big Machine Records, just for mentioning AI. Data shows this goes beyond the anecdotal. A recent Gallup poll measuring AI adoption and attitudes among Gen Zers showed that those who are excited about AI have dropped significantly over the last year, from 36% to 22%. And anger toward AI is on the rise, from 22% to 31%. While other age groups are also skeptical of AI, the fact that the youngest generation of workers is undergoing such a sharp decline in attitude toward a new technology is without precedent. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/media-copilot.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/fe289316-bc4f-44ef-96bf-148b3d8578c1_1440x1440.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to \u003Cem\u003EThe Media Copilot\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Wa