Eighty-four percent of US employees want AI to handle at least some of their tasks, with Gen Z the most enthusiastic, 90 per cent believe it could save them time, compared to 75% of Gen X and just 59% of Boomers.

However, enthusiasm doesn’t mean naivety with many Gen Z and millennial workers say their leaders still don’t grasp AI’s real-world value. In 2023, according to the UKG’s findings, only 25% of executives thought Gen Z grasped AI’s workplace value.

Instead of replacing jobs, many workers see AI as a tool for handling repetitive or data-heavy tasks to trust the technology to do things like summarise policies, manage schedules and handle time-off requests.

Sachin Agrawal, Managing Director for Zoho UK, commented: “Businesses and staff alike already understand the transformative benefits of AI in the workplace, from automating analysis to forecasting and fraud detection. However, the survey finding that 70% of Gen Z staff are upskilling themselves independently in AI could be a concern from security and privacy perspective.

“While it is commendable for people to teach themselves AI skills proactively, doing so without the guidance of company policies and ethical frameworks which promote best practice risks data breaches and leakage that could have a detrimental impact on the business.

“Moving forward, government, regulators and educators should work alongside industry leaders to establish comprehensive training frameworks that ensure all workers, technical and non-technical, understand AI’s capabilities, risks and ethical implications. This includes integrating AI literacy into education systems, upskilling programmes and ensuring accessible AI proficiency to all, enabling staff to confidently utilise AI and its benefits.”

Sheila Flavell, COO of FDM Group, commented: “It’s encouraging to see how engaged Gen Z workers are when it comes to AI, with many proactively upskilling to stay ahead. It highlights the need for organisations to go beyond tech rollouts and provide practical, hands-on training that shows how AI can support, not replace, human roles. At FDM Group, we’ve seen how targeted upskilling not only builds confidence but also opens up real career pathways. Empowering younger workers with the right tools and support is essential to building a workforce that’s truly prepared for the demands of an AI-driven future."

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