Perfect for investors, AI is everything and nothing at the same time. It’s a technology that will revolutionize the world, disrupt the workforce, but also I can’t handle a shift at a Taco Bell drive-thru.. The backlash against it is growing broader and deeper, as the popularity of this emerging technology continues to decline in polls. And yet, it persists, not only thanks to the parties who have invested financially in it, but also among young people who feel that they have no other choice.
In a Janus Rose’s report to The edgesome of the lowest endorsements for using AI come from the same people who use it the most. Only 18% of Gen Z say they are hopeful about the future of AI, and nearly 50% believe the risks outweigh the rewards. Despite this, 56% say they still use AI in their lives.
“The fact that so many young people are well aware of these dangers even as they use these tools shows that they are not buying into the hype of AI boosters,” Rose writes. “Instead, it suggests that Gen Z is hyper-aware of the tools’ limitations – from their well-documented tendency to “hallucinate” made-up information to the cognitive-social and emotional dangers of relying on machines for human advice.”
From public institutions to the press, Generation Z is inundated with the message that AI will both destroy their future job prospects, but is at the same time a necessary tool for finding employment. Similar frictions come from educational institutions. While many colleges and universities receive financial incentives to implement AI on campus, their faculty struggle to understand the ethical implications and evidence. that it will make students stupider.
These contradictions have become a defining feature of AI as its biggest proponents seek practical use. Many companies have downsized to realize their AI dreams, only to rehire staff to fix computer errors. Sam Altman says the cost-benefit ratio of raising humans to adulthood is much higher than what OpenAI offers (normal!), but at the same time, Sora was so expensive that he bled a million a day. Disney wants you can use AI to imagine all your favorite characters in tailor-made adventures, as long as you pay them the ticket price for your own daydream. The use case is getting so far-fetched that we’re talking about it now on building lunar cities just to cool data centers.
As usual, the youngest are sitting in the front row while this whole dystopian affair unfolds. Those most familiar with AI are the most skeptical of its application. One person Rose spoke to likened AI to fast food, obviously detrimental to your long-term health, but hard to kick once 3 a.m. rolls around.
“The use of AI has become culturally toxic,” Rose writes. “The use of AI-generated visuals and text is often a subject of ridicule on social media, and any anecdotal sample of young people will suggest that most find it wrong and deeply uncool – particularly when it is used to circumvent the creative process and pass off ugly nonsense as AI art.”
