As one of the largest generations — they make up one-fourth of the U.S. population — Gen Z will have a massive impact on the future of work, including the adoption and implementation of artificial intelligence tools.
As with the internet and social media, it’s typically the generations that grow up around the technology that are not only positive about its benefits, but are the fastest to adopt it.
Gen Z is entering the workforce during the generative AI boom. Even before taking their first job, they experienced gen AI tools becoming near-ubiquitous at college for research and brainstorming, with some universities even teaching courses on it.
The oldest Gen Z workers are only 27, and have just a few years of experience in a post-COVID workplace. In many ways, these young professionals break the norms of the traditional 9 to 5. They want flexibility, freedom, the ability to work when and however they want. At the same time, Gen Z also wants what workers have been wanting for decades: the ability to spend less time on tedious tasks and more time on the work they want to do.
It’s clear this generation is not only embracing AI, but views it as essential for the modern workplace.
According to recent data, 58% of workers say they spend less than half a typical work week on meaningful work that drives results. So for newcomers who want to make their mark, cutting down on the mundane work to make room for the fulfilling work could be the key to early success.
It’s clear members of this generation are not only embracing AI, but as they job search, view AI tools as essential for the modern workplace.
So what can employers do?
It’s no longer acceptable to be out of touch with technology if you want to attract young talent. Gen Z doesn’t want to work the “old way,” or fight to get buy-in from their boss to adopt emerging technologies.
To win over this talent pool, organizations must be agile and keep up with the speed of innovation. CIOs are now often tasked with bringing AI into their organizations. Some companies have gone as far as creating Chief AI Officers to drive AI strategies and break-through the bureaucracy that can stall AI adoption. These functions are helping to redefine work and rethink the traditional playbook of what productivity looks like.
As organizations implement AI, there’s massive pressure to move quickly, and a myriad of AI “add-on options” are on offer for nearly every tool in the workplace.
How to handle that? Use your funds efficiently, and put your AI budget to work in the places where it can have the broadest impact on the organization. Seek out applications that can link AI with all of the disparate data sources that you have across your company to drive the most impact. I started an AI work assistant called Glean to simplify the adoption of AI in the enterprise, so that even without an AI team, businesses of all kinds can tap into the power of AI to receive accurate, secure and personalized information.
Build the modern workforce and Gen Z will come
When we’re hiring at Glean, we are looking for constant learners. We want to invest in people that grow with the company, and look to grow themselves. Similar to other startups, we tend to attract ambitious talent that crave a learning culture. As emerging technology continues to be top of mind for Gen Z job seekers, they also want the opportunity to constantly upskill and learn how to tap into technology in innovative ways.
Whether that’s creating a bespoke upskilling training program at your company or offering third-party online training courses through platforms like Coursera, it’s important to provide continuous learning opportunities to employees so they aren’t left behind.
To stay competitive, companies across every sector will need to evaluate their tech tools and treat adopting emerging technology as a key business imperative to scale. Gen Z has a big stake in the future of work and the broader economy, and they are driving the AI revolution.
The time is now to adopt AI tools and upskilling opportunities to attract an eager, tech-savvy generation.
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