A new workplace trend is emerging for Gen Z employees: “AI Guilt”, where younger workers increasingly see AI literacy as essential to their careers, but do not yet feel they have clear permission for using it openly at work.
New data from Employment Hero, the global AI-powered employment platform, reveals that 50% of Gen Z workers feel guilty using AI to produce work, while 52% say using AI to do parts of their job feels like cheating.
The data forms part of Employment Hero’s latest global study – The AI Paradox at Work – examining AI adoption and attitudes among small businesses and their employees. The findings reveal a growing generational AI gap in the workplace, as young workers proactively build AI skills while feeling unsure about how to use them at work.
That lack of clarity is already increasing the risk of shadow AI. Four in ten (42%) of Gen Z workers use AI without their employer’s knowledge, while the same proportion often present AI-generated work as their own.
AI skills are becoming a career requirement
The result is a paradox at the heart of the modern workplace. The report revealed that nearly two thirds (64%) of UK employers say AI has changed what they look for when hiring, with “AI skills” officially entering the top five attributes employers look for in candidates – more important than “prior experience”.
This demand isn’t going unnoticed. The research found that 37% of UK workers say that entry-level roles now specify AI knowledge, yet 23% don’t feel their skills are sufficient to compete in an AI-driven job market.
Against that backdrop, AI skills are increasingly becoming part of how young workers demonstrate adaptability, productivity and readiness for the future of work. However, many young workers do not yet know how to use it without feeling they are breaking an unwritten rule.
Ria Kaur, a University student and jobseeker spoke about her experience of AI guilt: “As a Gen Z student experiencing the world of work through internships and placements, I see AI everywhere. But I also find that, in workplace situations, AI can feel like my dirty little secret.
“I think this comes from the stigma around younger generations using AI, which becomes stronger in the workplace because of the frustrating idea that Gen Z are lazy, or that we do not know what real work is. If a young person uses AI at work, it can feel like people assume they are offloading the task or taking the easy way out. In reality, a lot of us are using it responsibly to understand a task, prepare for a conversation or make sense of something new – but I still feel like it has to be kept hidden.”
A generation proactively learning the rules in real time
The report reveals a generation eager to up-skill: 81% have taken it upon themselves to learn AI skills through social media. This comes as more than half (58%) of Gen Z workers say they feel positive about AI becoming a bigger part of their working life, compared with 25% who say they are worried. The issue is not whether young workers want to use AI, but whether they feel they have permission to use it openly, safely and in a way that builds confidence rather than guilt.
Kevin Fitzgerald, UK Managing Director at Employment Hero, said:
“There is a real contradiction emerging for young workers. They are being told that AI skills will be critical to their careers, and many are clearly enthusiastic about building those skills, but they still feel guilty when they actually use the tools. When half of Gen Z feel guilty using AI at work, and more than four in ten are doing so without their employer’s knowledge, it shows that workplace norms have not yet caught up with employee behaviour.
“AI shouldn’t feel like cheating. It should feel like using any other tool that helps people do their jobs better. But if workers don’t have clear guidance, they’ll continue to learn in the shadows, making it harder for businesses to understand AI’s true impact, manage risk and support skills development. The opportunity is to bring AI into the open, build trust, be transparent and help a generation use it confidently.”
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