We’re deeply underestimating young professionals

Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson argues that young professionals are the most AI-fluent generation yet and are being underestimated, citing that 70% of college students see AI as a job threat according to Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics research. Lawson urges leaders to combine AI-native talent with institutional wisdom to unlock AI's ROI.

When I entered the workforce 30 years ago as a junior analyst with General Electric, I was shocked by how many accountants still preferred printing calculators and columnar pads over screens and Excel spreadsheets. Even at one of the world’s largest and most valuable companies, some of the brightest financial minds were doing complex calculations by hand. Putting aside how much this anecdote dates me, my first thought was, “But why…?” My second was a lightbulb moment: Digital tools like Microsoft’s productivity https://www.fastcompany.com/section/productivity software were skills to master, as well as my superpower in a highly demanding workplace. The superpower for today’s graduates is AI https://www.fastcompany.com/section/artificial-intelligence . Today’s workforce is the least AI-fluent it will ever be. Every successive wave of graduates will be more AI native than the ones before. This means our most adept AI talent are interns and entry-level associates just starting their careers. I’m constantly humbled watching my own teenagers and our greenest employees at Twilio. Their speed. Their efficiency. Their adaptability. They’re unsatisfied with “Because that’s how we’ve always done it.” They challenge assumptions and question processes. They reimagine workflows the rest of us have long become resigned to. They ask, “What if…?” We are deeply underestimating young professionals and their ability to unlock AI’s elusive ROI, even as they remain among the https://news.gallup.com/poll/708224/gen-adoption-steady-skepticism-climbs.aspx most apprehensive https://news.gallup.com/poll/708224/gen-adoption-steady-skepticism-climbs.aspx about its rise. Leaders must not overlook a simple truth: These young professionals are a vital part of AI transformation. If you’ve browsed Reddit recently or attended a commencement ceremony, you’ll encounter palpable and understandable AI angst among Gen Z in particular. In widely cited research from the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, AI is seen as a job prospect threat https://www.fastcompany.com/91532708/college-students-choosing-ai-proof-majors-anxiety-rises-over-bleak-u-s-job-market for 70% of college students. While understandable, this is not unique. Every major technology cycle has sparked fears about job displacement. Email. Internet. Mobile. Cloud. While perhaps a more accelerated version, AI is the next chapter. It’s silly now to think that Microsoft Office would jeopardize jobs, but that wasn’t an irrational fear in the ‘90s. Unquestionably, AI is changing how we work. While it will sunset some roles and reinvent others, it will also create new ones entirely. Junior financial analysts didn’t go extinct from Excel. Neither did veteran accountants. These tools made us faster, sharper, more productive, and infinitely more valuable. The same lesson applies to those now entering the workforce. AI isn’t a technology to compete with, but rather it’s quickly becoming how work gets done. There’s always been a generational tug-of-war between younger workers’ skills and speed, and their more seasoned colleagues’ experience and judgment. Organizations reaping the most AI returns are recognizing that the two are, in fact, sides of the same coin. Real business value is found at the intersection of AI-native talent and institutional wisdom, just as it has been at every technology milestone. The foundational tools that shape our careers have always changed. The fundamental traits that define success have not. Intellectual curiosity. Entrepreneurial mindset. Clear communication. Self-awareness. Ingenuity. Beyond AI fluency, leaders have to be equally committed to cultivating these capabilities in the generation entering the workforce. It’s something I talk about frequently with my kids. Create a small business. Found a startup. With AI at their fingertips, it’s never been simpler or more accessible. Maybe they’ll become a CEO of a one-person company. Maybe they’ll disrupt the status quo. But the lessons they’ll learn, the skills they’ll build, and the confidence they’ll gain will be invaluable. And while people entering the workforce will help us unlock AI in creative ways right now, in five years, it will be ubiquitous. Less of a superpower, more of a baseline. So, if AI eventually becomes table stakes, what qualities will distinguish top performers? Simple: our humanity. I recently sat down with Twilio’s global intern class for a virtual fireside. I shared five traits that defined my early career 30 years ago, and remain equally relevant for today’s young professionals: For people early in their careers and entering the workforce, AI is a superpower…for now. Ironically, the interns and entry-level associates often underestimated are among those best positioned to help organizations realize the transformative value of their AI investments. Yet, AI fluency won’t differentiate talent forever. What it means to be an entry-level worker is already evolving, and will look fundamentally different a few years from now. The long-term competitive advantage for Gen Z and Gen Alpha lies in the same human traits that have defined every other generation: curiosity, communication, resilience, ingenuity. Those who can marry these qualities with native AI expertise will find meaningful work and also help redefine work altogether. Khozema Shipchandler is the CEO of Twilio.