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Artificial intelligence (AI) is the next big leap in technology. At least, that's what all the big tech corporations would like us to believe. Companies such as GitHub provide AI coding tools that make programming easier, and Shutterstock recently released its own AI-powered image and video generator tool. At the same time, though, it's no secret that many users despise AI, which is confirmed by the fact that people are getting rid of their ChatGPT app in droves.

But few people feel as burned by AI as Gen Z — generally, anyone born in the late 90s and the early 2000s (more specifically, between 1997 and 2012). This generation has never known a time without the internet, and now they are living in a time where AI has an increasing presence in their daily lives. Here's a look at some of the reasons why Gen Zers are turning their backs on AI.

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One of Gen Z's biggest gripes with AI is its presence in every level of the job market. Countless companies are using AI to fill the shoes of human workers, and those that don't, often use AI to sift through job applications. According to a recent Gallup poll, 72% of workers in the U.S. believe now is a "bad time" to find a "quality job." Admittedly, people have been afraid that AI would start taking over our jobs for several years, but the current job market has only validated those fears.

And when talking about the job market, it's impossible to overlook the impact that AI is having on this generation. In an interview with The Verge, Sharon Freystaetter, a cloud infrastructure engineer, pointed out how many jobs in her field now require some sort of AI knowledge. Ironically, the article goes on to point out that Freystaetter had quit her job due to "ethical concerns and anxiety" regarding AI data centers. With this vicious cycle of overreliance of AI in the job market, it's no wonder Gen Z is being put in a veritable no-win scenario in the workplace.

One aspect of the job market, in particular, that is being affected by generative AI is in the art industry. If you've ever used an AI image generator, you know it can churn out pictures faster than most artists can block out a rough draft, and while it was easy to spot AI-generated images and videos just a few years ago, the technology has gotten better and is more difficult to distinguish. Some companies are trying to make it easier to call out rendered art versus the real deal, including Spotify, which added a badge to help users differentiate the real artists from the AI. That's not always the case, though, so some users are trying to hold companies accountable.

Arguably one of the most vocal subcultures in the anti-AI crusade has been the gamers, many of whom belong to Gen Z. All it takes is one person to notice that a particular video game studio used generative AI images, and gamers across the internet will come running to call for a boycott. The developers of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 7" were raked over the coals for using generative AI images that mimicked Studio Ghibli art (shown above), whereas the team behind "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" had a brush with controversy simply because they used generative AI to make placeholder images that found their way into the full release. 

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Earlier this year, researchers at Cornell University published a study on the effects of using generative AI to write papers for you. According to the study, electroencephalography scans — which measure brain activity — showed participants who used AI to write papers experienced less brain activity than when they used search engines to supplement their writing or just relied on their own creativity. In fact, participants who utilized large language models (LLMs) couldn't even quote their own work. A similar study from Harvard Business Review showed that extensive use of AI was overtaxing brains resulting in what the authors dubbed "AI brain fry." If you want to know what a future deprived of its critical thinking skills (aka., Gen Z's worst nightmare) might look like, watch "Idiocracy."

While AI definitely has its advantages in education, recent research from Collegeboard.org shows a concerning trend. The research showed that the use of GenAI tools by high school students increased from 79% up to 84% between January 2025 and May 2025 — that's just a single semester! While the majority of school administrators seem to think that AI tools are valuable, the report adds that about 40% of schools and districts have an AI ban for students.

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A single Google Gemini prompts use 0.24 watt-hours of energy — plus 0.26 milliliters of water and it emits about 0.03 grams of carbon dioxide. Multiply that by all the people in the world creating countless prompts on all the AI models available, and you have a recipe for accelerated climate change. If any generation is most concerned about the environment, it's Gen Z.

According to a Pew Research study, 32% of Gen Zers said that they have "personally taken action to help address climate change within the last year," compared to 28% for Millennials, 23% Gen X, and 21% for Boomers and older. Ergo, Gen Z is more concerned about the causes driving climate change, and AI is only speeding up the damage. An article in The Guardian quoted a study that showed the global carbon dioxide emissions of the AI boom in 2025 were equal to the air pollution levels of New York City.

Not all AI-caused pollution is environmental. The energy requirements of data centers are so astronomical that they strain electrical grids, resulting in rolling blackouts and higher electricity bills. In addition to that, people who live near these data centers also complain about the noise pollution. It's not enough to cause hearing damage, but it's still a constant, unending discomfort. The more data centers are built, the more people will suffer from these droning noises. And that's an issue everyone should pay attention to, not just Gen Zers.

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The general consensus among Gen Zers (and many other people) is that the concept of an AI-fueled future is being forced on us, and sometimes in the oddest ways and places. Just look at AI's place in colleges. More universities now offer AI courses and fellowships that teach students how to use AI (much to the chagrin of The Daily Pennsylvanian), and Arizona State University goes a step further by launching an AI platform that chops lectures into short clips. According to 404 Media, ASU faculty members were "disturbed" their lessons were used in such a manner and felt "blindsided or angered" because they weren't given any warning.

The oversaturation of AI is so problematic that Gen Zers tend to voice their displeasure at every opportunity. If a major tech executive tries to proselytize their AI to college students, they are almost always met with raucous jeers. Recently, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt tried to do just that and was promptly booed when he told graduating students at the University of Arizona to "adapt to the technology." And Schmidt was lucky compared to Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, who has been the target of several violent attacks involving gunshots and Molotov cocktails.