Gen Z and artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a pervasive technology in all sectors of American society
— art, culture, business, education, politics — and has rapidly generated conversations
surrounding its use and proliferation.

Among America’s Gen Z, AI is a highly controversial topic that raises questions about collective morals and the preservation of human authenticity. The central debate involves weighing the dangers and deception of artificial intelligence against the potential benefits it has on the advancement of these spheres. While the precarious use of AI has imposed on the sanctity of Gen Z’s relationship to the internet, the real danger is in how AI is robbing the generation of what they value the most: the truth.

Gen Z grew up using applications like Photoshop, iMovie, and GarageBand as tools of creativity
and social communication. We could trust that what we were perceiving online originated from
organic thought, that there was a human behind all the videos and pictures and essays.
Interacting with these platforms demanded ingenuity and inspiration and encouraged
collaboration and connection.

Part of the fun was the effort and time it took to play with and
produce on these platforms, and the other part was knowing that you were consuming content
that another person had produced themselves. This was both fun and functional; it generated a
sense of community among and between viewers and creators, continuously defining and
redefining the internet landscape. The absence of AI pushed Gen Z to explore the limits of the
human imagination and to continue expanding the creative capacity of technology and media.

The online authenticity that Gen Z so deeply valued was swiftly replaced by a digital
environment charged with skepticism, vigilance, and doubt. Popular social media platforms like
Instagram and X suddenly unveiled built-in AI features, automatically programmed into every
user’s feed. This unavoidable implementation of AI is a potent source for the dissemination of
misinformation and doctored media, such as deepfakes and falsified documents. This mistrust
expanded beyond the sphere of the internet and made its way to the classroom and the
workforce. Gen Zers are asking themselves whether the adults in their life, their teachers and
bosses and co-workers, are maintaining the integrity that this new generation values. Many of
them used ChatGPT, at the beginning of its conception, as an educational tool, but Gen Z and
Gen Alpha are now turning away from using AI as older generations have co-opted what once
felt innocent and clever by abusing its potential. This rise in the normalization of AI caused a
decline in Gen Z’s interest in its use.

AI and its uses are growing to become a universal ethical dilemma across nations and
generations, but it cannot be denied that AI is here to stay. For Gen Z specifically, as they define
the future of media and technology, the pressing concern is how, if possible at all, to integrate AI
into our everyday lives without sacrificing values like collaborative learning, trustworthy
journalism, and a commitment to preserving human intelligence.