Older Workers Are More Optimistic About AI Than Gen Z

This story will be featured in the upcoming Financial Poise Weekly newsletter.

Younger workers may use AI more, but they’re also more worried about what it means for their careers. According to new Glassdoor research, nearly half of Gen X workers spoke positively about how their companies use AI, compared with roughly one-third of Gen Z workers.

What’s causing the generational divide in attitudes towards AI? According to Taylor Nicole Rogers at Bloomberg:

• Experienced workers may be more insulated from AI disruption, says Glassdoor senior economist Chris Martin. They may also achieve better results with large language models because their expertise helps them craft precise prompts and detect hallucinations.
• Younger workers, meanwhile, are seeing AI automate traditional entry-level tasks such as research, customer support, and drafting marketing materials.
• The job market reflects that shift: Indeed data shows senior-level job postings rose 14.7% in the year through May 2026, while entry-level postings fell 6.3%.

Our take? Experience may be becoming more valuable in the age of AI. Seasoned workers have spent years developing the knowledge and judgment that help them ask better questions and evaluate AI-generated answers.

That creates a problem for younger workers. Many of the entry-level tasks companies are beginning to automate have traditionally helped people develop those same skills and judgment.

We’ve written about this before in Powered by AI: The Future of Entry-Level Jobs. Companies may gain short-term efficiencies from automating junior work, but they still need a way for younger employees to learn by doing and develop into tomorrow’s experienced workers.

Also, did you know that junior electricians can earn up to about $80,000 a year? And AI ain’t coming for their jobs. This is a drum we’ve been beating for years. See our latest take in Are College Degrees Still Worth the Investment?

P.S. The Glassdoor research doesn’t define Gen X and Gen Z, and generational boundaries aren’t strictly defined. But for reference, the US Census Bureau defines Gen X as those born from 1965 to 1980 and Gen Z as those born from 1997 to 2012.