AI Resistance Has Nothing to Do With Age

Author

Charlene Li
December 15, 2025

Here's a conversation happening in every organization right now:

"Let's get the Gen Z folks to lead our AI adoption. They grew up with technology, so they'll show us old folks how it's done."

Sounds logical, right?

Except it's completely backward.

The data tells a surprising story: Boomers are more excited about AI than Gen Z. And the margins aren’t even close.

Boomers estimate AI will save them 14 hours per week over the next five years. Gen Z places that number around 10 hours. More strikingly, 59% of Gen Z sees AI as a threat to their job prospects, compared to just 10% of Boomers and Gen X.

So much for the "digital native" advantage.

Why Gen Z Is Skeptical (And Why It Makes Perfect Sense)

Before we dismiss Gen Z as resistant, let's understand what they're seeing that we might be missing.

🚪 They're stuck at the entrance. As the newest generation joining the workforce, Gen Z occupies mostly entry-level positions—the exact roles most vulnerable to AI automation. They're watching potential career paths disappear before they even start. Seventy-two percent believe AI will reduce entry-level opportunities over the next five years.

🌍 They've seen technology's dark side. This generation watched social media get hyped as revolutionary, then witnessed its psychological damage firsthand. They grew up with misinformation, privacy violations, and tech giants exploiting user data. When they hear "AI will change everything," they're thinking about unintended consequences.

💭 They're worried about losing critical thinking skills. Around 49% of Gen Z believes that AI will harm their ability to think critically. They're asking a question many of us avoid: What happens to our minds when we outsource thinking?

One 23-year-old put it bluntly: "AI constantly steals without consent from absolutely everything, violates privacy, and obtains money from it. It's a tool of capitalism to maintain worker exploitation."

Even if you disagree with that perspective, it’s important not to ignore it. 

The Real Predictor of AI Adoption 

In the research for my book “The Disruption Mindset,” I surveyed a thousand leaders globally. The finding was clear: AI adoption doesn't vary by age or role. It varies by disposition.

Specifically, openness to change and comfort with uncertainty.

I identified four leadership archetypes:

🎯 Steadfast Managers (50%): Focused on execution, uncomfortable with change. They're your reliability champions, but change isn't their strength.

✨ Fearless Optimists (27%): Comfortable with change and confident in their leadership. Your ideal disruptive leaders.

😰 Worried Skeptics (19%): Uncomfortable with change and less confident. They're your early warning system. Their skepticism helps you identify risks you're too optimistic to see.

🔥 Agent Provocateurs (3%): Loves change but may lack follow-through. Great energy, but having too many of them means nothing gets finished.

Understanding these dispositions matters more than checking birth certificates.

What Actually Works: Four Strategies to Build AI Openness

1. Create Psychological Safety

Frame AI as a learning problem, not a performance test. Leaders need to say, "I'm still figuring this out too. Here are things I tried that worked, and things that failed."

One organization that Katia Walsh and I profile in our upcoming book “Winning with AI” with starts every AI training by asking people to share their fears before touching any tools. You can't teach someone who's terrified.

2. Shift from Fixed to Growth Mindset

Shift from "I'm not technical" or "I'm too old for this” to "I can't do this yet, but I will."

Acknowledge fears. Then provide evidence that skills can be developed. I recently had an executive genuinely worried about "AI overlords taking over." We talked through it. Once the fear was named and addressed, learning could begin.

3. Start with Quick, Personal Wins

Ally Bank turned their most resistant customer service agents into AI advocates by solving a real problem they had: summarizing thousands of daily calls. The skeptics became the loudest champions because they experienced the value firsthand.

Don't do generic demos. Sit with people. Ask: "What's a pain point you're dealing with right now?" Then show them how AI solves that specific problem.

4. Use Scaffolding

Build a framework to help your teams ease into using AI, providing them with the structure they need to feel safe, confident, and supported. 

For example:

  • Week one: Summarize a document.

  • Week two: Draft an email response.

  • Week three: Brainstorm solutions.

  • Week four: Collaborate with AI on a project.

The Investment That Pays Back Tenfold

Here's what I keep hearing: "We're too busy to learn AI. We have too much work to do."

I guarantee you this: Give people two hours a week to learn AI, and you'll get 10 hours back in productivity.

But most companies won't make that investment. They're stuck in the "too busy to sharpen the saw" trap.

The organizations that carve out dedicated time for AI fluency—not just literacy, but fluency—are the ones that will win. And they'll do it by focusing on mindset, not birth year.

💭 Your Turn

What has surprised you most about the generational differences in AI adoption? Have you seen examples of skeptics becoming advocates in your organization? What mindset shifts have you observed—or struggled with yourself?

What I Can't Stop Talking About

  • My upcoming book with Dr. Katia Walsh, "Winning with AI," explores how speed is the new competitive moat—but only when paired with human skill development. Sign up for updates here.

  • Are you prepared for a tech outage? With recent AWS and Cloudflare outages, it’s essential for leaders to hone the skills they need to get their teams through unexpected chaos. Here’s how. 

  • Regulations =/= constraints. Here’s how the EU is making the most of AI with thoughtful regulation, including data minimization and built-in compliance. 

  • How can leaders build confidence and imagination in that AI era? I sat down with David Rice on the People Managing People podcast for a great conversation on leadership in a rapidly-evolving tech environment. Listen here. 

 My Upcoming Appearances/Travel

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