70% Of Gen Z Use It While Gen X, Boomers Don’t Get It

75% of people who use generative AI use it for work and 70% of Gen Z uses new generative AI technologies, according to a new 4,000-person survey by Salesforce, which has been integrating AI into its products for years. Also found: 68% of those who haven’t tried generative AI are Gen X or boomers.

“There’s a generative AI divide,” says Salesforce senior director of product marketing Kelly Eliyahu. “49% of the population has used it, and 51% has never used it.”

Generative AI has been around for a long time, with generative models dating back as far as 1972, according to Intel AI expert Ilke Demir. But it has burst onto the popular consciousness with the emergence of OpenAI with ChatGPT and visual creations from technologies like Creative Diffusion, MidJourney, and Adobe Firefly.

Apparently, more for some people than others.

For those who use the new technology, a third use it every day, Eliyahu says, while the rest use it weekly or more. Most are looking to automate work tasks, while about a third use it for fun, and a third use generative AI for learning about topics that interest them.

The generative AI divide is largely a generational divide. Non-believers tend to be older and more cautious around new technology. 68% of non-users are Gen X or baby boomers, and almost nine out of 10 non-users don’t see how generative AI will impact their life, and 40% says they aren’t familiar with the technology. That’s unfortunate, because that means that the oldest people in the population—who are most vulnerable to non-online shopping scams—don’t understand existing uses of deepfakes created with generative AI for financial and political scams. Another third of non-users say the technology is not useful for them

Those who use generative AI, however, see plenty of benefits:

1. 46%: saves time
2. 42%: easy to use
3. 37%: fun to use
4. 35%: teaches new things
5. 32%: helps with complex concepts
6. 29%: help make decisions quicker
7. 28%: helps make more informed decisions
8. 28%: keeps me more organized
9. 26%: provides inspiration
10. 22%: helps me succeed at work

According to the survey, people would use generative AI more if it was more secure and safe, if they understood it better and knew more about how to use it, and if it was integrated into the technology they already use. People who do use generative AI mostly say it’s improved even as they’ve been using it and almost 90% say the results of generative AI models have met or exceeded their expectations.

“This data shows just how quickly generative AI usage has taken off in less than a year,” Clara Shih, CEO of Salesforce AI, said in a statement. “In my career, I’ve never seen a technology get adopted this fast.

The data is based on a 4,041-person audience aged 18 or older in the U.S., UK, Australia, and India who are part of a YouGov panel.