{"slug": "how-ai-lost-its-most-natural-early-adopters", "title": "How AI lost its most natural early adopters", "summary": "A Pew Research Center survey published Tuesday found that 52% of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI, up from 37% in 2021, and for the first time a majority of adults under 30 (55%) share that concern. The report also found 71% of adults think AI will lead to fewer U.S. jobs over the next two decades, up from 64% last year, and LinkedIn data shows 6 in 10 Gen Zers in France (65%), the US (60%), Germany (57%), and the UK (55%) say technical trades offer more meaning than office jobs. Dr. Robert Prey, Professor of Digital Culture at Oxford, noted that unlike previous technologies, young people are not enthusiastically adopting AI, and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton advised people to 'train to be a plumber.'", "body_md": "Younger generations have always been the first to welcome change and new technologies, and AI was no different. But a new report suggests the tide is turning.\n\nSince the Pew Research Center first surveyed Americans' concerns about AI in 2021, negative sentiment has evolved. The [2026 survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/08/18/young-adults-in-the-us-are-increasingly-wary-of-ai-concerned-it-will-take-jobs/?_gl=1*9tguuf*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjwqJXUBhBNEiwA8BgG7gTMCEobligsjD8SwrERDLx0Z9BDizZd5m4fB7xX6QEnAA9YfrDZbRoCaf8QAvD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAA-ddO9GXLbGpSKmN0ZAP2DVKSdbm2), published on Tuesday, found that 52% of Americans say they are more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI, up from 37% in 2021. However, the most notable finding is an unusual pattern among young adults: for the first time, a majority of adults under 30 (55%) say they’re more concerned than excited about AI.\n\nThose figures place young adults' concerns on par with those across all age groups, including those in their 30s and 40s and those aged 65 and up. That negative sentiment also shows up in job market concerns, which, while cited as one of the top reasons that adults fear AI since 2021, the report found that the youngest adults are now just as likely as those aged 30 to 64 to hold that view.\n\nAlthough the young adults' sentiments are on par with those of the other generations, with 71% of adults thinking AI will lead to fewer jobs in the United States over the next two decades, up from 64% last year, it is especially notable since it can impact career choices of the next generation, and as a result, impact the overall job market. After all, concerns about AI jobs begin as early as age 13, when students start thinking about how to align their high school courses with long-term career goals, according to a previous [Pew Research report](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/how-teens-use-and-view-ai/?_gl=1*61gess*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjwqJXUBhBNEiwA8BgG7gTMCEobligsjD8SwrERDLx0Z9BDizZd5m4fB7xX6QEnAA9YfrDZbRoCaf8QAvD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAA-ddO9GXLbGpSKmN0ZAP2DVKSdbm2#in-their-own-words).\n\n\"In general, young people often give us pretty clear indications of where things are going. And people of that generation are very concerned about AI,\"[ Dr. Robert Prey,](https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/profiles/robert-prey/) Professor of Digital Culture at Oxford, told The Deep View in a recent interview. \"Most technologies are really enthusiastically adopted by teenagers. Parents are worried about smartphones, or are worried about the internet, and teens are usually the first to get into it, and are usually completely sold on these things. With AI, we're seeing something different.\"\n\nAI pressures are already shifting how job roles are viewed, as Gen Zers are more open to careers in trades than traditional corporate jobs. Specifically, a recent [LinkedIn report](https://news.linkedin.com/2026/2026-Davos-Press-Release) found that nearly 6 in 10 Gen Zers in France (65%), the US (60%), Germany (57%), and the UK (55%) said technical trades offer more meaning than an office job. This trend has also been documented on social media and in other [reports](https://digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/app/uploads/2025/11/CanariesintheCoalMine_Nov25.pdf), [news stories](https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6403643841112), and [social media](https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/02/business/video/trade-jobs-influencers-social-media-digvid).\n\nEven Geoffrey Hinton, Nobel Prize winner widely regarded as the Godfather of AI, publicly advised people in a [podcast interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giT0ytynSqg) to consider the trades. \"Train to be a plumber,\" he said.\n\n## Our Deeper *View*\n\nIt's interesting to watch how younger generations are changing their tune on AI, because even as the technology keeps advancing, a more fundamental question emerges: how willing are people to actually use it? Historically, demand for cutting-edge technology has been driven by younger, tech-savvy consumers. But what happens when that generation isn't just hesitant, but actively resistant, even opposed, to adopting it? Gen Z has already shown a willingness to push back against workplace norms it disagrees with, popularizing the term \"quiet quitting,\" meaning doing only the tasks required by a job description rather than going above and beyond. Now, despite heavy AI investment and adoption efforts from employers, companies may be facing a harder problem to solve: getting employees in non-AI roles interested in using AI for everyday tasks in the first place.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-ai-lost-its-most-natural-early-adopters", "canonical_source": "https://www.thedeepview.com/articles/how-ai-lost-its-most-natural-early-adopters", "published_at": "2026-08-19 23:00:01+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-19 23:12:45.730343+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Pew Research Center", "Dr. Robert Prey", "Oxford", "LinkedIn", "Geoffrey Hinton"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-ai-lost-its-most-natural-early-adopters", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-ai-lost-its-most-natural-early-adopters.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-ai-lost-its-most-natural-early-adopters.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-ai-lost-its-most-natural-early-adopters.jsonld"}}