Image credit: Shixart1985 via WikiMedia Commons
On a summer weekday, in a somewhat random attempt to prepare myself for university, I watched a Khan Academy video on financial literacy. Despite the valuable information Sal Khan, the non-profit's founder, was providing about debt management, I found myself more intrigued by the book sitting on the bookshelf behind him. It is authored by him and titled "Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education. (And Why that's a Good Thing)". While I appreciated the literary pun and the creative cover art (part of the title is in a light grey to look like AI-generated suggested text), I found myself experiencing the familiar sting of disappointment whenever I see people I look up to, celebrities I like, or brands I shop from using generative AI. This feeling is not unique to me - more and more people are expressing the same sentiment, in particular Gen Z and millennials.
As with most technology, Gen Z has the highest rates of AI usage according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. Nonetheless, the survey highlights that Gen Z is also the generation that is most skeptical about AI. 48% of U.S. adults aged 18-29 said they think the impact of AI on society over the next 20 years will be negative, compared to 35% for those above 65 years. Concerns range from AI's environmental impact to its effect on the job market, especially in an economy where it is increasingly difficult to secure entry-level positions.
The environmental impact of AI is a concern that younger generations are increasingly vocal about. Gen Z has grown up hearing simplistic environmentalist messaging like "Save the Turtles", "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", and "Save Water". We've done school projects about solar power and deforestation in the Amazon. We've seen the media praise Greta Thunberg for her fierce advocacy despite her young age. Such messaging was often supported by corporations eager to position themselves as environmentally conscious. So naturally, it is jarring to see how corporations invested billions into AI with little thought for its massive water and energy consumption. A report by the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance (GDSA) predicts that AI will cause global water usage to rise from 1.1 billion to 6.6 billion cubic metres by 2027.
It is unfair to say that older generations do not care about environmental impact, but perhaps they are not as used to considering it as a factor when evaluating a novel technology. Indeed, the rapid technological advancement that Gen X and Boomers have seen are astonishing, making environmental concerns pale in comparison. From landlines to smartphones, hours in a library to a quick Google search, people were forced to take on an "adapt or be left behind" approach. The strong embrace of AI appears to be linked to the feeling of wanting to be ahead of the curve. Nobody wants to be the old grumpy guy in the office who can't use Excel.
When it comes to the use of AI in the workplace, the older generations seem to have more difficulty in distinguishing what is human-made and what is not. Therefore, the sensible option seems to be to cut costs and AI-generate the text, flyer, advertisement, or video, instead of paying a professional. Positions such as translators, data scientists, web developers, and telemarketers are all affected, however AI being used to make art is a particularly pertinent concern. Not only do artists lose out on profits, but their work is often used to train AI, creating cheap imitations of artwork that are resold elsewhere. These are practical considerations, but there are also philosophical ones- if we hand over fundamentally human tasks like making art and seeking knowledge to AI, what is left for us?
Given that those who control the trajectory of generative AI, corporate executives, lawmakers, regulatory officials, tend to be part of the older generation, it is essential to consider this generational difference in attitude. Gen Z needs to be more vocal about its concerns over AI - before we are left to deal with its consequences.