AI and the Future of Work

Ourmedia partnered with IDEO to deliver a co-creation session with Jobs For the Future’s Gen Z Ambassadors to surface crucial insights about what Gen Z anticipates from the future of work alongside AI. In the coming months, we look forward to building on those findings to dive deeper into the changing worlds of work and technology with more Gen Z leaders and changemakers.

Spotlight Interviews with Gen Z Ambassadors: How do you think AI will impact your relationship with work and learning in the future?

Report: Co-Creating the Future of Work with Gen Z

Introduction

In an era where the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is transforming the landscape of work and learning, there is a significant gap in understanding how these changes will impact Generation Z and how institutions should respond. At Jobs For the Future’s annual Horizons conference, Ourmedia and IDEO collaborated to surface crucial insight from JFF’s Gen Z ambassadors for the future of work and engage with the general attendee population around those insights.

Gen Z leaders expressed a mix of excitement about the potential for AI to streamline everyday processes, and concern for artificial intelligence diminishing their agency and ability to connect with others. A common theme that surfaced was consideration of the aspects of daily life that were quintessentially human and needed to be preserved as AI continues to advance. Gen Z’s perspectives led to the creation of key recommendations for institutions, employers, and policymakers in the coming years to support a sustainable future of work and AI.

Our work at Horizons catalyzed a new conversation about the role of AI in the future of work that stretched across generations and sectors, one that we look forward to exploring further in the coming months.

Event Summary

Ourmedia and IDEO partnered to deliver a co-creation session around the future of work and AI for Gen Z that served as a catalyst for rich conversations and connection-building for attendees from nonprofit, industry, government, and academia.

On the first day of Horizons, Ourmedia and IDEO spent an hour with JFF’s Gen Z Ambassadors in a co-creation session around the future of work assisted by Artificial Intelligence. We explored what a day in the life of someone working with AI, and offered specific projections about the tools and trends they might have to adapt to. The session surfaced crucial insight from the Gen Z representatives about their attitudes towards an AI-Assisted future, as well as what action they hoped to see from policymakers, corporations, institutions, and employers to sustain this future.

In an evening session at the Horizons reception, we shared our projections about the future of work with general attendees and prompted them with the same critical questions about Artificial Intelligence’s impact on their relationship with work. Attendees responded to questions with post-its that were color-coded by sector, allowing our teams to see what trends emerged among specific sectors in thinking about the future of work.

The following day, we hosted a shareback session where attendees could drop in to read the raw data collected on posters from the previous day, and engage in conversations about their impressions of the responses – connecting around what was surprising, what sparked hope, and how their respective fields contributed to the conversation.

Outcomes

Gen Z Perspectives

Gen Z leaders expressed a mix of excitement about the potential for AI to streamline everyday processes, and concern for artificial intelligence diminishing their agency and ability to connect with others. A common theme that surfaced was consideration of the aspects of daily life that were quintessentially human and needed to be preserved as AI continues to advance.

Key Takeaways:

  • Expressed the need for learning to work on teams, and having access to skills training, career development support, and mentorship opportunities early in their career
  • Noted the importance of having conversations about access and equity around AI early on
  • Emphasized the importance of maintaining human connection and agency over innovation
  • Shared a concern about AI diminishing their agency or ability to think for themselves, and expressed a desire for a life that is not ‘over-technologized’
  • Expressed excitement and optimism for the potential for AI to improve their creativity and agency in work, and lessen their daily workload to create more flexible work environments

“There’s something about working with people on a team that’s nice, but mornings are hard and that help from AI would be great”

We found that Gen Z leaders tended to consider an AI-assisted future as representing a tension between the desire for efficiency and the need for human connection and interaction. They expressed excitement about the potential for AI to lessen the pain points associated with a regular work day, but noted that any kind of AI-assistance needed to have hard limits on the parts of their lives it would not interfere with. The ambassador cohort also expressed a specific interest in utilizing AI to promote creativity and collaboration.

“That could’ve been a young person’s job”

Gen Z leaders also pointed out that there were aspects of AI-assisted work that might impact their generation negatively, by preventing the learning opportunities that they would have been exposed to by doing the tasks themselves. Leaders also repeatedly pointed out the importance of considering equity and access in the future of work and AI; for example, one attendee noted that AI futures would never be realized in a meaningful way without all Americans first having access to broadband.

“It seemed kinda lonely”

Despite sharing excitement about AI’s ability to increase efficiency and productivity in their lives, Gen Z leaders pointed out that a future dominated by artificial intelligence, while more efficient, would minimize human interaction to degrees that may harm mental health. The leaders made specific reference to the loneliness epidemic facing Generation Z, and expressed

Non-Gen Z Perspectives

Non-Gen Z attendees shared the Gen Z leaders’ concerns about privacy and ethics, and expressed optimism for the possibility of AI streamlining processes and improving opportunities for talent development. Non-Gen Z attendees shared a desire for strategic implementation of AI, and expressed most excitement for AI’s ability to improve innovation and workforce development. These attendees also recognized the importance of encouraging lifelong learning practices and constant adaptation in the age of AI, especially coming from employers and educational institutions.

Key Takeaways:

  • Shared excitement about potential for everyday processes to be streamlined and innovation to improve
  • Emphasized importance of employers and institutions providing support for talent and career development alongside AI
  • Expressed concern about privacy and ethical considerations around AI use
  • Encouraged the development of partnerships between industry and educational institutions to align skills training with market needs

Key Recommendations

Perspectives shared by Gen Z and Non-Gen Z attendees surfaced the following key recommendations for educational institutions, employers, and policymakers:

  • Bridge Generational Gaps – Leverage the strategic thinking of older generations alongside Gen Z’s insight into the unique challenges of the workforce landscape in the coming years to define solutions for the future of work
  • AI-Driven Educational Reform – Advocate for reforms that support lifelong learning, personalized learning, and industry collaboration
  • Corporate Responsibility and Ethics – Ensure that AI adoption aligns with broader societal values and enhances workforce well-being
  • Policy Development – Encourage policies that support the ethical and inclusive use of AI in both education and the workplace, protecting privacy and promoting access to opportunities.
  • Customized AI Solutions – Develop AI tools that cater to diverse user needs, from enhancing productivity and creativity to ensuring data security and ethical use.

What’s Next

In the coming weeks, we look forward to delivering our workshop sessions to Gen Z learners and workers to build a robust dataset delving deeper into the insights gathered at Horizons while providing experiential opportunities for Gen Z to learn and grow with AI.

Furthermore, we are excited to continue hosting co-creation sessions with cohorts of talented and diverse Gen Zers to leverage their unique insight into what the future holds for stakeholders who are entering the workforce or early in their career in the coming years.

Our co-creation session and the ensuing discourse epitomized Ourmedia’s mission: to leverage the insight and experiences of Generation Z to generate data, connections, and discourse that will shape the future of work and learning in the age of AI.

If you’re interested in contributing to our work or viewing an in-depth report about the insights gathered at Horizons, please reach out to taramandrekar@ourmedia.org to learn more.