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It may seem that Gen Z is ahead of the curve when it comes to GenAI savvy. But that know-how can vary by region in the US.
A new poll from Gallup, the Walton Family Foundation, and the nonprofit Heartland Forward found that only about a third of Gen Z employees in the 20 interior states defined as the American heartland feel at least somewhat prepared to use AI at work. Four in 10 heartland Gen Z students between fifth and 12th grade feel ready to integrate AI into eventual jobs.
There have been plenty of concerns lately about the role that GenAI should play in schoolwork and education. But it’s important that students have exposure to and training around AI to ready themselves for AI-dominated workplaces, according to Angie Cooper, COO and president of Heartland Forward, which aims to promote economic growth in the middle of the country.
“When we work with rural students and entrepreneurs across those 20 states, we know that AI is here. AI is going to be leading the future of work. It’s going to be bringing additional innovation to our heartland communities,” Cooper told Tech Brew. “We want to make sure that people in the heartland have the knowledge and skills on how to harness AI.”
Industry-specific: AI preparedness among Gen Z employees also varied across industries: 61% of those in STEM roles said they were at least somewhat prepared to use AI at work, along with 43% of respondents in education, 32% in other white-collar jobs, 30% in blue-collar and service work, and 22% in healthcare.
“Addressing gaps in students’ and workers’ AI use and training will be particularly important for those living in lower‐income and rural areas, as well as blue‐collar, service‐based, and healthcare workers, all of whom report the lowest levels of AI knowledge and support from their schools and employers,” the report said.
Because blue-collar industries like agriculture, construction, and transportation are more common in the region, heartland jobs are actually not as exposed to potential AI displacement, the report found. But the authors go on to say that Gen Z in particular might be more vulnerable to AI because of its disproportionate impact on entry-level jobs: “Research suggests that entry‑level jobs—many of which are filled by workers in the same age range as Gen Z is today are the most likely to fall victim to full automation,” the report noted.
“One of the things we see when we talk to employers, small businesses, manufacturers [is that] AI is kind of everywhere,” Cooper said. “It’s changing rapidly, so we want to keep on pace, and we want to make sure that we’re supporting the heartland in the right way.”
What can be done: Heartland Forward also announced this month that it’s teaming up with edtech startup Stemuli to offer a game-like AI learning platform for rural students and entrepreneurs to get up to speed on the technology.
Cooper said the group, which describes itself as a “think-and-do tank,” will continue to review the findings and look for more opportunities to expand AI literacy.
“Because AI is ever-changing, I wouldn’t be surprised for us to look at other areas that we can dig into the data and then figure out how we go take action,” Cooper said.