Will AI Take My Job? A Youth Perspective

The advent of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI[1]) and increasing automation fueled by machine learning is poised to transform the workforce landscape. This shift will have a particularly strong impact on entry-level and lower-skilled occupations often filled by youth and young adults just entering the workforce. As these advanced technologies continue to evolve, their ability to automate tasks and augment human capabilities will reshape the nature of work across various sectors.

Machine learning tools, such as Amazon SageMaker and IBM Watson, are being widely adopted, fueling productivity gains. Machine learning excels at repetitive, data-driven tasks like image classification and fraud detection.[2] Drivers and delivery personnel are particularly vulnerable, as autonomous vehicles and AI-driven route optimization reduce the demand for human operators.[3]  Other occupations including administrative and clerical roles, customer service representatives, retail cashiers and, sales clerks, bookkeepers, accounting clerks, are likely to be significantly impacted by AI automation as well.

On the other hand, generative AI, including tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, is increasingly handling cognitive and non-routine tasks in middle to higher-paid professions. This shift is dramatically altering job roles, particularly in areas such as content creation, programming, and customer service. The swift adoption of Generative AI is most evident with ChatGPT, which gained 1 million users within just five days and reached 100 million monthly active users within two months of its launch.[4] In comparison, it took Netflix three and a half years to reach that milestone, Twitter two years, Facebook-ten months, and Instagram two and a half months. Nearly three out of four businesses have already begun using AI for at least one business function, indicating that these changes will significantly impact entry-level workers.[5] Youth and young adults who are just starting their careers stand to be disproportionally affected by these shifts.

Over the past month, CSW  informally interviewed a group of seven young adults aged 18 to 24 about their thoughts on GenAI and how it might shape their education and careers. These youth are just starting their first jobs, enrolled in community college, or in career tech programs. ​Our team wanted to understand their feelings, hopes, and concerns about what GenAI and automation mean for their future job prospects.​ Their insights were both thoughtful and eye-opening, offering a glimpse into how they view the role of technology in their careers.

Gen Z Perspectives: Navigating AI

The young people in the informal focus group seemed aware that GenAI is coming, but there appeared to be significant confusion between GenAI and automation. Automation, fueled by machine learning, has been around for quite some time and is used in various tasks such as email campaigns, bill paying, and automated chatbots. However, in recent years, the terms “AI” and “automation” seem to have become synonymous, adding to the confusion between the two.

One young person said, “I’m scared of AI. I’m scared to learn anything about it.” Another shared, “I’m too scared to learn how to use it because it just creeps me out.” A third person felt that GenAI was just a fad that would fade out soon, questioning why they should bother learning about it. They all agreed that it was a factor they should look into but hadn’t spent much time doing so.

AI on the Horizon: Young Voices on AI Impact on Their Career Paths

When asked if they perceived GenAI as a threat or an opportunity to their future careers. The group said they thought the careers most likely to be impacted by GenAI in the near-term would-be factory jobs, retail, customer service, and warehouse jobs. As a result, they were steering away from these fields. They expressed concern about the likelihood that entry-level jobs such as cashiers, customer service, and data entry will be automated, making it more difficult for young people to enter the workforce and removing the important learning youth gain from their first job.

One young person, who works as an assistant manager in a grocery store, shared that the store’s leadership had been discussing opportunities to automate and use AI for tasks like checking out customers and managing inventory. He expects they will need fewer staff in the future and plans on changing jobs before that happens.

The group expressed alarm at the rapidity of the transformation, sharing an example of a whole warehouse delivery service being replaced overnight by AI and robotics. The biggest concern among them was GenAI’s impact on creativity and art. Everyone agreed that GenAI might negatively affect creative fields, and young people expressed concern about GenAI taking over arts-based careers.

One young man who is studying graphic illustration and aspires to design games and comic books said, “AI can’t really make new art, only humans can.” The group had questions about the ethics and ownership of future art made by or with GenAI. One person remarked, “You can be an artist and create new art, but AI can come along and make art like that person. It’s something to be aware of because you don’t want someone to generate your style of work in GenAI and then start selling it too.”

Additionally, they agreed that GenAI could generate art alongside humans and were concerned about who would own the art in that case, whether AI-generated work could be called art, and whether GenAI was just another tool, like a paintbrush or a computer, to help humans make art.

When asked if they were concerned about GenAI replacing their jobs and taking over human work, the group tended to agree that AI has the potential to enhance rather than completely replace human work. There was concern that companies would try to, at least initially, reduce or eliminate human work, but ultimately, they would realize that the human connection was important. One person stated, “I feel like there are some jobs we will realize that you shouldn’t take the people aspect out of it.” Another mused, “I don’t think I would want someone, like a robot, filling in for a role a person could do.” Another person shared concern that AI can learn very fast, making it difficult for humans to keep up.

Embracing AI: A Supportive Ally in Education

The group also expressed some optimism about GenAI. Some members recognized GenAI’s potential to enhance, rather than completely replace, human work. They gave examples, including GenAI’s ability to solve math problems. One youth expressed with hope, “A positive thing that I would say is that it could eliminate the math side of things in school.” Everyone in the group championed this shift.

GenAI could transform the education and learning environment, making schools more accessible for students with learning challenges or linguistic differences. One young person shared, “I do think it could be extremely helpful for things that you’re slower at.” The group also commented that the younger generation of children is losing the experience of working with pen and paper, and they lamented that loss.

AI is a Double-Edged Sword: Young Adults Weigh Privacy Risks and Accuracy

Some young people expressed worry about GenAI’s potential to invade privacy or manipulate people. They drew examples from TikTok, and other social media platforms designed to engage users, with one youth sharing, “They’re engineering algorithms to make us watch more videos.” They also felt GenAI would accelerate the advent of deepfakes and privacy concerns. The group was unanimously concerned about technology’s ability to gather information and track people and their behavior. Another concern the group voiced was GenAI’s propensity to “hallucinate,” or give error-prone information. One young man shared, “I used it for help with my algebra homework, and it gave me the wrong advice, and I had to do the homework all over again with the help of my teacher.” While this is the case for early GenAI, GenAI developers and researchers are actively working on various strategies to reduce hallucinations.

What Does this Mean for Workforce Practitioners and Educators?

Young people express a cautious view of GenAI, acknowledging both its potential advantages and the threats it poses to future careers, particularly in creative and service sectors. While concerns about job displacement, decline of human connection, and privacy loom large, there is also recognition of AI’s ability to assist in tasks and potentially generate new job opportunities. This sentiment drives the youth to seek greater understanding of AI’s implications for career choices, focusing on the need for skills in less likely automated areas.

Advice for the Field:

• For Young People: Prioritize learning about GenAI and its impact on job markets; pursue education and skills that remain valuable despite automation.
• For Workforce Practitioners and Educators: Stay informed about GenAI trends, guide students towards complementary skills, and address ethical concerns related to GenAI.
• For Parents and Caregivers: Encourage youth to explore GenAI’s implications and support their education and career choices in light of these changes.
• For Policymakers: Consider the implications of GenAI on the job landscape and support initiatives that study the changing workforce and prepare the future workforce for the evolving career demands. Stay abreast of the changing demands to integrate GenAI into existing occupations and its implications for worker rights and job quality. Meet the needs of displaced workers with retraining and upskilling.

Additional Resources on AI and Youth Workforce Development

• How young workers can thrive with AI when they have the right skills, World Economic Forum, Future of Work
• More hands-on gen AI experience increases optimism—and caution—for millennials and Gen Z, Deloitte Insights
• Navigating the Future: Why AI Skills Are Crucial in 2024, General Assembly
• Will AI Benefit or Harm Workers?, Center for American Progress
• Use Cases for Generative AI in Workforce Development, Jobs for the Future
• Center for Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Work, Jobs for the Future
• What Teenagers Really Think About AI, TIME

[1] AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a broad field focused on creating machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. Generative AI is a subset of AI that focuses on creating new and original content. GenAI models include ChatGPT and Gemini.

[3] For more info on which workers are more “exposed” to AI in their jobs, check out these articles from Pew Research and Forbes

[4] Forbes. “What Is ChatGPT? A Review Of The AI In Its Own Words.” Last modified , 2024. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/what-is-chatgpt/.

[5] Forbes Advisor. “22 Top AI Statistics & Trends In 2024.” Last modified October 16, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/ai-statistics/