Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how younger generations think about their future as they enter the workforce amid rapid technological change. While AI is often framed as a driver of innovation and growth, public debate has shifted in some markets toward more immediate concerns about jobs, economic opportunity and who stands to benefit. For Gen Z, these questions feel especially personal. This anxiety is becoming more visible through public reactions, including recent instances in which U.S. students have pushed back against pro-AI messaging at university events, such as the widely reported booing of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the University of Arizona’s graduation ceremony. Against the backdrop of a more competitive labor market and an intensifying global race for AI leadership, GlobeScan’s latest public opinion data shows that concern about AI among Gen Z varies sharply across countries, with stark differences between the U.S. and China. Forty percent of American Gen Zers say the dangers of AI are “very serious,” placing it at the top of the global ranking with India (40 percent). Countries such as Indonesia (39 percent) and South Africa (39 percent) also show relatively high levels of concern. At the other end of the spectrum, China stands out for having just 13 percent of Gen Z viewing AI risks as “very serious,” alongside similarly low levels in Italy (13 percent), Thailand and Japan (both at 12 percent). Europe sits broadly in the middle to lower range, with Germany (24 percent), Spain (20 percent), France (18 percent),…
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