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Why Gen Z Isn't Using AI (And What That Means for Their Future)
For the first time in history, young people aren't the early adopters. And that's a problem.
Recorded live at MIT during the AI Powered Women Conference, this episode features Caren Cioffi, CEO and founder of Agenda Hero, an AI platform that eliminates manual calendar work. But this conversation goes far beyond productivity tools.
Caren reveals a troubling trend: Gen Z and Gen Alpha students are being actively blocked from using AI in schools. They're threatened with failing grades, disciplinary action, and even expulsion if caught using these tools. Meanwhile, the rest of the workforce is rapidly adopting AI and building fluency that will define the next decade of work.
The stakes are high. These are the students whose jobs will be most impacted by AI, yet they're being systematically prevented from learning how to work alongside it. While professionals are using AI to eliminate tedious work and focus on meaningful human connection, students are being taught to fear it.
This episode is for parents, educators, leaders, and anyone who cares about preparing the next generation for a world where AI is infrastructure, not optional.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why Gen Z and Gen Alpha are not adopting AI (and why that should worry us)
- How schools are punishing students for AI use instead of teaching responsible adoption
- The false choice between cheating and learning when it comes to AI tools
- How AI eliminates tedious work across professions (from doctors to lawyers to parents)
- Why curiosity matters more than skills in the AI era
- What happens when we free up human capacity for connection instead of paperwork
- How one founder built a global company solving a problem AI made newly possible
- The real risk of keeping our most capable generation on the sidelines
Erica and Caren discuss the uncomfortable truth that expensive college degrees may be preparing students for jobs that no longer exist, while simultaneously blocking them from the tools that will define their careers. But the conversation is grounded in optimism: when we eliminate the tedious, we create space for what truly matters.
If you're a parent wondering whether your kid should still study engineering, an educator trying to navigate AI policies, or a leader thinking about how to prepare the next generation, this episode will give you clarity without the panic.
👉 Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone navigating the AI revolution.
Subscribe to AI: Voice or Victim for more conversations that move you from AI anxious to AI curious. Hosted by Erica Rooney and Greg Boone aka AISeriousâ„¢, we're helping people and organizations embrace AI ethically, strategically, and with humanity at the center.
Follow us and join the movement to shape the future before it shapes us.
🔗 Follow us and dive deeper:
On the web: https://voiceorvictim.com/
Greg Boone on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregboone
Erica Rooney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericarooney/
© 2026 Walk West Production
View all episodes
By Walk WestFor the first time in history, young people aren't the early adopters. And that's a problem.
Recorded live at MIT during the AI Powered Women Conference, this episode features Caren Cioffi, CEO and founder of Agenda Hero, an AI platform that eliminates manual calendar work. But this conversation goes far beyond productivity tools.
Caren reveals a troubling trend: Gen Z and Gen Alpha students are being actively blocked from using AI in schools. They're threatened with failing grades, disciplinary action, and even expulsion if caught using these tools. Meanwhile, the rest of the workforce is rapidly adopting AI and building fluency that will define the next decade of work.
The stakes are high. These are the students whose jobs will be most impacted by AI, yet they're being systematically prevented from learning how to work alongside it. While professionals are using AI to eliminate tedious work and focus on meaningful human connection, students are being taught to fear it.
This episode is for parents, educators, leaders, and anyone who cares about preparing the next generation for a world where AI is infrastructure, not optional.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why Gen Z and Gen Alpha are not adopting AI (and why that should worry us)
- How schools are punishing students for AI use instead of teaching responsible adoption
- The false choice between cheating and learning when it comes to AI tools
- How AI eliminates tedious work across professions (from doctors to lawyers to parents)
- Why curiosity matters more than skills in the AI era
- What happens when we free up human capacity for connection instead of paperwork
- How one founder built a global company solving a problem AI made newly possible
- The real risk of keeping our most capable generation on the sidelines
Erica and Caren discuss the uncomfortable truth that expensive college degrees may be preparing students for jobs that no longer exist, while simultaneously blocking them from the tools that will define their careers. But the conversation is grounded in optimism: when we eliminate the tedious, we create space for what truly matters.
If you're a parent wondering whether your kid should still study engineering, an educator trying to navigate AI policies, or a leader thinking about how to prepare the next generation, this episode will give you clarity without the panic.
👉 Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone navigating the AI revolution.
Subscribe to AI: Voice or Victim for more conversations that move you from AI anxious to AI curious. Hosted by Erica Rooney and Greg Boone aka AISeriousâ„¢, we're helping people and organizations embrace AI ethically, strategically, and with humanity at the center.
Follow us and join the movement to shape the future before it shapes us.
🔗 Follow us and dive deeper:
On the web: https://voiceorvictim.com/
Greg Boone on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregboone
Erica Rooney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericarooney/
© 2026 Walk West Production