Prior to cell phones, my husband and I used pagers to communicate, sending codes to let each other know things like “call me.” Today, if I forget my phone at home, I immediately think about how dependent I have become on having it with me. That same kind of dependence appears to be happening with AI in the workplace, especially among younger employees. Research conducted by Workplace Intelligence in partnership with GoTo involving 2,500 employees and IT leaders found that 40% of Gen Z workers feel they cannot function without AI, while nearly half say relying too much on AI is making them less intelligent and half worry this dependence could hurt their long-term career prospects. Those findings support something many leaders are already starting to notice inside organizations because employees are becoming highly efficient at producing work while simultaneously becoming less confident in their own thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Why AI Dependence Is Growing Among Gen Z Workers
I interviewed Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner at Workplace Intelligence several years ago, so I was interested in what his study showed. When Dan and I chatted in the past, we talked about workplace connection, curiosity, and the way technology can create isolation while giving people the illusion of connection. Much of that conversation centered around how employees were beginning to lose confidence in their ability to connect, communicate, and think independently. This new research feels like the next phase of that same issue because now many younger workers are beginning to question whether AI is weakening the very skills they need most.
Many Gen Z workers entered the workforce during a time when AI tools were already built into daily work processes. Instead of brainstorming first and then using technology to refine ideas, many employees now open AI platforms before they begin thinking through the problem themselves. That shift changes how people approach communication, problem solving, writing, and decision-making.
Earlier generations often built confidence by struggling through difficult tasks, researching ideas independently, asking questions, making mistakes, and learning through repetition. Those experiences were frustrating at times, but they helped employees strengthen judgment and problem-solving abilities over time. AI now removes much of that friction by instantly generating emails, summaries, presentations, recommendations, and responses.
Why Gen Z Workers Are Losing Confidence In Their Own Thinking
Convenience is part of what makes AI so powerful, but that convenience also changes people’s behavior. Many younger workers admitted they trust AI more than their own judgment and believe AI may be doing their jobs better than they can. That creates an important psychological shift because confidence is often built through competence. When employees skip too many parts of the thinking process, they may complete tasks faster while slowly losing confidence in their own ability to solve problems independently. That may help explain why so many younger workers feel dependent on AI even while worrying about what that dependence is doing to their future.
The study found that 43% of employees admitted they use AI-generated content even when they suspect it may contain errors or low-quality information. That should concern leaders because employees may begin accepting information without questioning it carefully enough. Once workers stop challenging information, their critical thinking begins to weaken.
This is where curiosity becomes especially important in the workplace. Curiosity pushes people to ask follow-up questions, test assumptions, challenge conclusions, and search for gaps in reasoning. AI can support that process, but it can also suppress it.
Why Gen Z Workers Are Especially Vulnerable To AI Dependence
Gen Z workers are still developing many of the professional skills that become critical later in leadership roles. Earlier generations often built their confidence through repetition, trial and error, having difficult conversations, problem solving, and learning how to navigate uncertainty without instant technological support. Those experiences helped people develop emotional intelligence, resilience, adaptability, and professional confidence over time. But now, many younger workers are becoming accustomed to AI stepping in before they fully work through problems themselves.
Fear may actually be shaping AI dependence more than many leaders realize. Some employees fear appearing outdated if they do not use AI aggressively, while others fear being replaced if they cannot work faster than their coworkers. Some worry they will be blamed for AI mistakes, while others hesitate to question AI outputs because they assume leadership highly values efficiency.
Many employees believe there is unspoken pressure to trust AI and stay quiet about mistakes. That kind of culture creates significant risk because innovation depends on questioning, experimentation, discussion, and healthy disagreement. When employees become afraid to challenge outputs, organizations lose one of their most important protections against poor decisions.
This becomes especially problematic for Gen Z workers who are still learning how to speak up, challenge assumptions, and trust their own thinking. If employees become conditioned to defer to AI instead of strengthening their own judgment, organizations may eventually face a workforce that struggles with independent decision-making and creative problem solving.
Why Gen Z Workers May Need Human Skills More Than Ever
AI may actually increase the value of human abilities in ways many organizations are still underestimating. As companies automate more technical and repetitive work, younger employees may eventually discover that the people who stand out most are not necessarily the ones who can generate the fastest AI response. The employees who stand out over time will likely be the ones who can navigate uncertainty, communicate persuasively during difficult situations, recognize weak reasoning, and make thoughtful decisions when there is no obvious answer. What makes this issue especially interesting is that many Gen Z workers already seem aware of the tradeoff they are experiencing because they appreciate the speed and efficiency AI creates while also worrying about becoming too dependent on it. Organizations clearly benefit when employees use AI well, but the bigger concern is whether younger workers are still developing enough confidence in their own thinking to function when AI cannot provide the answer. AI may be speeding up work, but many younger employees are starting to wonder whether it is also weakening the confidence that comes from learning how to think through difficult problems on their own. Technology will continue evolving, but employees who continue strengthening their own judgment instead of outsourcing too much of it may ultimately place themselves in the strongest long-term position.
