In my strategy class this spring, a student leaned back during a discussion about automation and quipped, \u201cWell, we aren\u2019t going to get a job anyway because of AI, so who cares?\u201d Laughter rippled across the room. It was quick, light\u2014even comforting. But beneath the jokes lay a tense reality. This feeling is the elephant in the room for many young people: they sense the job market evolving under AI\u2019s influence, and they\u2019re not sure where they\u2019ll fit.<\/p>\n
When I asked several students if they ever talk seriously about AI replacing jobs, one replied, \u201cNot really. If you think about it too much, it feels hopeless.\u201d Another said, \u201cWe just figure something else will come along. Or maybe we\u2019ll figure out how to work with it.\u201d Humor has become a coping tool\u2014a way to acknowledge the threat without dwelling on it.<\/p>\n
This sentiment is grounded in data.\u00a0A Goldman Sachs analysis<\/a> shows that Gen\u202fZ tech workers are experiencing higher unemployment than older generations, with rates among 20-to-30-year-olds up nearly 3 percentage points since early 2024\u2014over four times the national average increase. Joseph Briggs, a senior economist at Goldman Sachs, warns that\u00a0\u201cthose performing the most easily automated tasks\u2014often the most junior employees\u2014are naturally the most vulnerable.\u201d<\/a> Yet even among this landscape, roughly 42% of Gen\u202fZ workers have used AI to inform career decisions\u2014the highest of any generation\u2014and\u00a0one in five say AI suggested a career path they hadn\u2019t considered before<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gen\u202fZ isn\u2019t the first generation shaped by turbulence. Millennials faced the 2008 recession, Gen\u202fX<\/a> experienced offshoring, and Boomers watched industries automate. But AI\u2019s rapid scope and reach set this moment apart. A\u00a02025 SHRM survey found that 80% of employers expect entry-level job descriptions to shift significantly within three years because of AI.<\/p>\n Some students are already hedging: gravitating toward fields that seem more human-centric\u2014mental health, skilled trades, education\u2014and others are diving into AI skills, hoping to stay ahead. A few are building side gigs early: freelancing, tutoring, and part-time creative work. One student captured it best: \u201cIf AI really changes everything, we can\u2019t control it. So I\u2019d rather focus on what I can do now.\u201d It\u2019s a blend of pragmatism and fatalism that feels uniquely Gen\u202fZ.<\/p>\n But the risk is that humor can mask passivity. Laughing off the threat may ease the moment but doesn\u2019t set up long-term preparedness. These same laughs surface in TikToks about job interview awkwardness, tales of the \u201cGen\u202fZ stare\u201d in service roles, and viral \u201cworkplace hacks\u201d like CC-ing fake lawyers to protect oneself from bad bosses\u2014shared because they make real work anxieties feel relatable.<\/p>\n Is that enough? According to economist Tyler Cowen<\/a> of George Mason University, not entirely. He argues that college curricula are overfocused on routine skills\u2014content that AI can now handle better\u2014and recommends dedicating up to\u00a0one-third of higher education to teaching students how to use AI<\/a>, understand its limits, and cultivate critical thinking and mentorship capacities that AI can\u2019t replicate.<\/p>\n The challenge is for educators, employers, and policymakers to build on Gen Z\u2019s humor, adaptability, and intelligence\u2014not shy away from it. Laughter is part of their cultural toolkit, a way to defuse tension and build connection, but it should be paired with clear-eyed preparation. Laughing through uncertainty isn\u2019t inherently harmful; in fact, it can signal resilience. Yet if humor becomes the only response, it risks leaving deeper concerns unaddressed.<\/p>\n Helping this generation see beyond the joke means showing them how to translate quick wit into strategic thinking. That might involve embedding AI literacy into every discipline, encouraging students to treat emerging tools as collaborators rather than threats, or designing workplace mentorship programs that help young employees connect short-term problem-solving with long-term career planning. It also means rewarding adaptability not just when things go wrong, but when it\u2019s used proactively to anticipate change.<\/p>\n AI will reshape work in unexpected ways, touching industries from creative arts to healthcare logistics. It may introduce entirely new career categories, while making others obsolete faster than any previous wave of automation. The real question is whether Gen Z\u2019s combination of humor, adaptability, and caution will help them ride that wave\u2014or whether they will find themselves reacting too late, caught in its undertow. For now, the laughter continues. The work ahead lies in making sure it is paired with the skills and foresight to turn uncertainty into opportunity.<\/p>\n The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of\u00a0Fortune.<\/p>\n