Want Gens X, Y and Z to match vibes at work? Use AI
As Gen Z workers help their senior colleagues get up to speed with new tech, a space is being created for better collaboration
The other day, as I was waiting for a colleague to join a video call, a notetaker app knocked on the virtual door of the meeting room, asking to be let in. I am a big believer of using AI tools to boost productivity, especially when it comes to streamlining cumbersome, repetitive, and low fidelity, boring tasks. But I am wary of outsourcing my attention to a virtual assistant entirely.
Taking notes the old-fashioned way, using pen and paper, during meetings keeps me anchored to the discussion in real time. It ensures that I am actively writing down points that are critical to my understanding instead of leaving it to an AI tool to figure out the action items on my behalf. As a Gen X-er in the workplace, where I closely collaborate with Gen Zs, I find myself in a double bind that many others of my generation, or older, would likely relate to. Where does one draw the line with AI usage when it comes to balancing ease and rigour?
On the one hand, AI tools can fire up your motivation by brainstorming with you and taking the tedium away from the daily grind. On the other hand, these agents can also make you lazy and feckless, eroding the precious skillsets you have built over decades of hard work. It is only from repeated trials and errors that you can figure out where to set the boundary between machine intelligence and human innovation. Even so, it’s impossible to mark a threshold once and for all. Less than a decade ago, you would rely on your intuitive sense of direction to navigate your way around your city. Now it’s unthinkable to not have the GPS on even when you are driving back home.
No matter where you stand on the spectrum of AI tolerance, it is beyond doubt that these tools are increasingly acting as a bridge between generations in the workplace. A recent study by the International Workplace Group, based on data from 2,000 professionals from the US and the UK, claims 82% of tenured leaders admit that AI innovations, which were introduced to them by their juniors, have helped them unlock business innovations. In turn, 59% Gen Zs say they actively support their seniors to become AI savvy.
The practical impact of this cross-generational collaboration is palpable. Of the total number of people who were surveyed, 86% attribute increased efficiency to AI, while 76-87% believe that adopting AI in the workplace is advancing their careers and making them more resilient in this VUCA world of layoffs and forced attritions. At an even granular level, AI integration has been reducing friction from hybrid work, helping run meetings more efficiently, and automating tasks that had traditionally eaten into high-value work.
While improvement in workflow and quantitative rise in business output are the rallying points behind AI adoption, it’s not all hunky dory everywhere. A survey by WalkMe, a digital adoption analysis platform, published this year points out that while an overwhelming majority of Gen Z workers use AI to expedite their tasks, 62% hide it out of anxiety that they would be judged by their older peers for using such tools.
The irony of the situation is deepened by the fact that only 6.8% of Gen Z workers say that they have received extensive support and mentoring at the workplace, while 13.5% claim they have got none at all. Is it any wonder that newbies entering the workforce are going to turn to virtual mentors for guidance that comes free of cost, judgment, and scorn? If the seniors are too busy to brainstorm with them on solutions, why won’t they want to partner with machines to test out their ideas?
In my last column, I argued that wider AI adoption in the office doesn’t necessarily equal better work-life balance. As systems become more efficient, employers are going to make the benchmark for accountability and productivity higher for workers. On the brighter side, though, AI is increasingly deployed to play a pivotal role in analysing employee feedback and complex datasets that drive better business decisions. The culture of implementing changes from top down, or in an ad-hoc manner, may not be completely gone, but its days are likely numbered, even for operators of mom-and-pop shops.
As the government rolls out the ₹10,371 crore IndiaAI Mission, analysts say that Generative AI could impact 38 million jobs by 2030, boosting productivity by over 2.6% in the organised sector and nearly 2.8% in the unorganised sector. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 adds that 96% of Indian organisations have already deployed AI initiatives, especially in their hiring practices. With AI expected to automate over 60% of tasks, 63% of Indian workers will need upskilling by 2030.
Apart from forcing the hand of senior leaders to upskill and adopt an AI-ready mindset, these trends will hopefully bring about key behavioural changes in the workplace, making a case for robust human collaborations, mentoring, and increased respect among generations.
Work Vibes is a fortnightly column on ideas to help you thrive at what you do.
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