In Rebecca Tims 11th grade social studies class, the students are buzzing. “We’re studying World War I and II right now, which the students just love. They play a lot of video games that center around this content, and so the engagement is really high. They’re asking questions and connecting it to what they already know.”
Rebecca, an Austin, Texas, native, has been teaching at her hometown’s Harmony School of Excellence in Austin for 13 years. For Rebecca, keeping lessons relevant for her students is critical to keeping them engaged – and preparing them for what comes next.
Preparing them for a tech-enabled future also involves helping her Gen Z students – the first generation of true digital natives – understand all the tools at their disposal. This includes artificial intelligence.
With the right support, Gen Z, defined as young people aged 13-28, is uniquely positioned to shape the future with AI. But a recent survey from The Walton Family Foundation and Gallup reveals a more measured attitude when it comes to these rapidly advancing technologies.
The “Voices of Gen Z” study found that right now, 41% percent of Gen Zers say they feel anxious about AI, even as they express strong interest in learning how to use it wisely.
That mix of concern and curiosity isn’t a contradiction – it’s a sign of thoughtfulness.
“There’s a type of growth and learning that can only be done through struggling, failing and persevering,” says Francesca Fullen, a fellow instructor at Harmony who teaches English and social media literacy. She encourages her students to explore AI with open minds and clear boundaries. “I coach my students on using [AI] to learn,” she says, “rather than relying on it for easy answers.”
Across the country, Gen Z is busy putting that mindset into practice. Seventy-nine percent report using AI tools, with nearly half doing so on a weekly basis. Many say it helps them learn faster, work more efficiently, and boost their learning speed. With the right support from instructors like Francesca and Rebecca, their capacity to use these tools with purpose only grows.
Admittedly, not every school has a teacher dedicated to social media literacy and AI training, and young people in the survey report that support and training for AI is uneven.
Fifty-five percent of Gen Z adults and 49% of students say their school or employer gives no clear guidance on AI, leaving many to navigate this emerging landscape on their own. Here – the survey offers a path forward: More than half of Gen Z students believe schools should be required to teach them how to use and leverage AI, not just warn against it.
Notably, where policies do exist, the data suggests that young people are more likely to engage with AI and build confidence in their abilities.
“With my students, I’m teaching them how to use AI as a tool – to help them study [or] break down a primary source that’s difficult for them to read,” explains Rebecca. For her, the goal is empowerment: not to replace critical thinking, but to enhance it.
At Harmony School of Excellence, teachers like Rebcca and Francesca understand that growth often comes through trial and error. While the concept of using AI for school and career is a relatively new one with rapidly shifting boundaries, it offers deep potential for those willing to learn how to use it. When schools and teachers embrace AI as a learning tool, the result isn’t just better tech skills: It’s stronger thinkers and a generation of more confident learners.
“AI is a new tool, and it’s not going away,” says Rebecca. “We need to figure out how to utilize it, [as] opposed to just completely shutting it down.”
