Gen Z’s Love Affair with AI Now More 'It’s Complicated' Than 'Omega-Level Hype'
KEY POINTS
- •Gallup, Walton Family Foundation and GSV Ventures surveyed 1,572 U.S. Gen Zers aged 14-29 from Feb 24 to March 4, 2026.
- •Gen Z’s excitement for AI dropped from 36% to 22%, while anger rose from 22% to 31%, especially among the oldest members.
- •Despite skepticism, about half of Gen Z use AI daily or weekly, and more K-12 students feel prepared to use AI after high school.
According to a Gallup survey with data from the Walton Family Foundation and GSV Ventures collected Feb 24-March 4, 2026, Gen Z’s AI crush officially cooled from 36% excitement in 2025 to a lukewarm 22%. Hope for AI? Also low, falling from 27% to 18%, while anger towards AI spiked from 22% to 31% — making them angrier than a Starbucks barista denying a venti oat milk latte. GSV senior researcher Zach Hrynowski pinpoints this fury as a Zoomer PTSD over AI stealing entry-level jobs. Still, half of these web natives poke AI daily (22%) or weekly (29%), stuck in an awkward 'I have to live with it' phase. Despite all, K-12 Zoomers are already prepping to Jedi-mind-trick their future AI overlords, with 56% predicting fluent AI skills post-graduation versus 44% last year. The margin of error ±3.6 seems like the only thing still optimistic here.
Share the Story
(1 of 3)Gen Z wanted AI to be their digital BFF but ended up with an angry ex who ghosted their job prospects and left a group chat full of mixed feelings.
AI was supposed to be Gen Z’s shiny new toy but ended up like that IKEA chair—assembled with high hopes and falling apart by week two.
Watching Gen Z’s AI mood swing is like watching a teenager meet their weird new step-parent: hesitant daily use wrapped in side-eye and silent resentment.
Source: Axios | Published: 4/9/2026 | Author: Avery Lotz
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