Exclusive: Young AI users more hopeful about jobs, study finds

Data: Sine Institute; Chart: Axios VisualsYoung Americans who use AI tools regularly are more optimistic about their careers than their peers who don't, per new data from American University's Sine Institute.Why it matters: Fear of AI may already be holding people back — and that hesitation could widen opportunity gaps.By the numbers: Those already using AI tools tend to view them as enablers of career growth. Conversely, inexperience with AI strongly predicts a fear of limited career prospects.Only 44% of regular AI users say they believe AI will limit their future job opportunities. That number rises to 71% for those who've never tried AI.Researchers at the Sine Institute conducted 1,214 interviews of Americans age 18 to 34 from Sept. 5 to Sept. 13, 2025.The big picture: The glimmer of optimism from heavy AI users is clouded by fear and unease about the technology among college students, new graduates and young people not on a college track, even from those using AI regularly.Whether they use AI or not, over half of all young people (55%) say they see it as a threat to their careers.Only 21% of the young people polled said they feel more excited and positive about AI than they feel concerned and anxious.The divide among young men and women was stark. 30% of men felt AI could help them up the career ladder, while only 13% of women felt the same.This data from young people in the U.S. mirrors recent research from Pew that showed that Americans and many across the globe are more anxious than excited about AI.The intrigue: AI familiarity correlates with optimism, but it doesn't necessarily cause it.The study didn't determine whether using AI changes attitudes, or if people already inclined to try new technology are also more optimistic by nature.A significant share of people were unsure about how AI will affect their future, which echoes general confusion over AI in schools and the workplace.Reality check: A majority of young people (72%) said they believed that AI education was at least somewhat important to prepare them for their careers and for their lives. But an even higher percentage (78%) of the young people said AI literacy was not taught, and use was either discouraged or prohibited.Yes, but: Educators and administrators are coming around to the fact that AI use is inevitable and must be accompanied by AI literacy."We start either in the first semester or first year of college or first year of grad school," David Marchick, dean of American University's Kogod School of Business, told Axios. "We teach them what's wrong with AI, before we teach what's right with AI, and then we also teach them to be skeptical of AI."The bottom line: The knowledge gap may determine who benefits from the bots, and who gets left behind.

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