AD82: Gen Z Is Relying on AI ... To Their Detriment

17 February 2025 | Issue #82

In this issue:

Gen Z's use of AI
Downfalls of Relying on AI too much
How to Get Fired
Stealing from OpenAI
Design Quote of the Week

**Midjourney prompt:** The image shows a young woman with long dark hair and glasses, sitting at a table with a laptop open in front of her. She is wearing a hoodie and appears to be in a dimly lit indoor environment, possibly a café or co-working space. The background is blurred with cool blue tones, giving a moody, introspective feel to the scene. Her facial expression suggests deep concentration or concern, as if she is struggling with a creative challenge or work-related problem. The lighting contrasts with some warm highlights in the background, adding depth to the image. --ar 16:9

Within the Rise community, we joked about the tagline "From AI to Gen Z." These were two areas that we needed to better understand to be successful with marketing and business.

Now, we see that these two areas of interest are becoming more intertwined.

A recent study showed that Gen Z is using AI more than other demographic groups.

When Google last year surveyed more than 1,000 knowledge workers in their 20s and 30s, 93% of those who identified as Gen Zers said they were using two or more AI tools a week. – Business Insider

Now that there are more Gen Z workers in the workplace than Baby Boomers, these younger workers are skilling up to stand out.

Not only do younger generations tend to be more tech savvy (who else had to program VCRs for their parents?), but they also have more access to new technology.

The California State University System recently signed a deal with OpenAI to offer ChatGPT to half a million students. These students are being taught how to integrate AI into their work.

Does your employer pay for you to access and use AI tools?

If not, you're not alone. Surveys showed that younger workers were given more opportunities to learn new skills. Why aren't we building up the employees who already have experiences?

The combination of experience and tool knowledge is where older workers can thrive in the workplace. Knowing how to use a tool is one thing. Knowing WHEN to use the right tool is a skill that takes time.

Many tools have overlapping capabilities. It's the experienced practitioner who knows when to use which tool. For example, I've been doing some video editing for myself and clients recently. Knowing when to use After Effects, and when to use Premiere, aren't immediately obvious to new users.

Knowing When to Rely on AI

A recent paper by researchers at Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University found something similar: the more people used and trusted AI, the less they relied on critical thinking skills.

This is a scary finding. We can't turn over our thinking to these tools. As humans, we have the ability to draw connections between different data points that others haven't considered. This shows that when we outsource our thinking, we stop improving our problem-solving skills.

As 404 Media points out, the decline of these cognitive skills means that people are ill-equipped when they're presented with a challenge that can't be handled by AI.

I don't know about you, but I have no interest in ending up like the people in Wall-E.

We need to keep building critical thinking skills. We need to keep building interpersonal skills. We can't turn over all of our cognitive load to these tools. We're probably all overworked and overstressed, but we still have to create as only we can create. If we're just consumers, we end up as batteries in the Matrix.

Thanks to Zack Seipert for the tip on the CSU ChatGPT news.

NEWS AT THE INTERSECTION OF DESIGN AND MARKETING

🔥 How to Get Fired

Chris Ross shares new Gartner research on why CMOs lose their jobs—and the surprising factor that matters most to executives.

• Adaptability is Critical: Executives value a marketing team’s ability to respond to business and market changes even more than strategic vision or executive buy-in.

• Results Matter Most: CMOs who fail to deliver measurable outcomes are the most at risk of being replaced.

• My Take: A big part of the CMO job is branding, and since that can't be easily measured, it looks like an expense by the bean counters who don't understand marketing.

Keep reading

📽️ Stealing From Thieves

Max Hofert calls out OpenAI’s contradictions—spending millions on human-made branding while claiming AI can replace creative work.

• OpenAI’s Hypocrisy: Despite advocating for AI-generated content, OpenAI’s $14M Super Bowl ad and brand refresh relied entirely on human artists.

• A Warning for Businesses: Even AI’s biggest proponents know their tools aren’t good enough for high-stakes creative work—so why are companies betting on them?

• My Take: If OpenAI doesn't trust its tools to produce a finished artwork, why are we?

Keep reading

NEW RESOURCES FOR YOU

The Visual Marketer – Coming in Early March!

Design Quote of the Week

“Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together.”
– Vincent Van Gogh

My AI disclaimer: I write the main stories by hand (with occasional assistance from Grammarly). I find the news stories and the writeup is by ChatGPT. I write the My Takes bullet. If AI generates the images, I include the prompt so you can see how I got to that image. Nothing in this newsletter, or anything I publish anywhere, reflects the views of my employer.