One in 10 Gen Zers want their boss to be replaced by AI—they’re already being polite to ChatGPT just in case

Amid the frenzy that AI will result in mass job losses, there’s one role Gen Zers are secretly hoping the bots will replace: their boss. And 69% are already being polite to Chat GPT just in case. A 2025 study from essay writing service Edu Birdie highlights that one in 10 Gen Z workers are pining for a robot boss. While wishing for the demise of a manager is nothing new, what’s eye-opening is the reasons why they think the likes of Chat GPT and Gemini would make for a better manager. For one, they ironically think it’d be more human. Most of the Gen Zers said that AI will be a nicer, fairer, and more neutral boss. While some think a virtual manager would be a lot smarter than the current human one they have, others predict they’d be able to manipulate AI management easily. Worryingly, some respondents reported that an AI boss “won’t hit on me” and would be “less scary.” And whether or not workers are actually destined to report into robots any time soon, 70% of the 2,000 young Americans surveyed are already hedging their bets—one ‘please’ at a time. What does this mean for managers? Despite Gen Z’s wishes, managers are more likely to be replaced by peers who use AI, as opposed to AI itself. A separate 2025 survey highlighted the vast majority of bosses predict they’ll lose their jobs within a year if they don’t master AI skills. But they may be more at risk of losing bright young talent if they don’t start managing like humans. “Gen Z’s desire to replace their human boss with AI is a red flag for their managers,” Avery Morgan, chief human resources officer at EduBirdie tells Fortune. “This points to burned-out, disengaged leaders failing to meet basic human needs.” Rather than being wowed by AI’s capability or how a virtual boss could bring about more flexibility to workplaces, Morgan stresses that workers wanting this bosses to be replaced signals “they’re dealing with unfairness, confusion, and toxicity at work.” All of which are on the