Gen Z believes using AI is making their colleagues dumb and lazy, but may paradoxically see it as key to their own promotion, Wharton says | Fortune

"Last year, researchers from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University revealed startling evidence about the impact of using AI on how-and how hard-people think, finding that among more than 300 knowledge workers, leaning too much on AI tools like ChatGPT was associated with diminished critical thinking skills. The study, mirrored by results from MIT-led research published last year, suggested that even using AI for low-stakes tasks such as proofreading "can lead to significant negative outcomes in high-stakes contexts," like writing legal documents, the study authors wrote."

"A new Wharton-led survey, conducted in partnership with Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation, found young people are ramping up their AI use, even as their concerns about it causing lazy thinking persist. A survey of nearly 2,500 U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 28 years old completed in October 2025 found 79% of respondents believed AI makes people lazier, and 62% said they had concerns it makes people less smart."

Studies by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon found that among more than 300 knowledge workers, excessive reliance on AI tools like ChatGPT was associated with diminished critical thinking skills. MIT-led research produced similar results and indicated that using AI for low-stakes tasks such as proofreading “can lead to significant negative outcomes in high-stakes contexts,” including drafting legal documents. A Wharton-Gallup-Walton survey of nearly 2,500 U.S. adults aged 18–28 completed in October 2025 reported that 79% believed AI makes people lazier and 62% worried it makes people less smart. AI use among young adults increased, with 74% using chatbots at least once last month and one in six using AI at work despite explicit prohibitions.

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