Why Gen Z Is the Most AI-Ready Cohort — and What That Means for You

Quick: Think of the three hottest topics in recruiting right now. If you said some combination of AI, Gen Z, and skills-based hiring, then stick around — you’ve come to the right story. 

While employers are increasingly focused on how to hire Gen Z candidates, they also have to adapt to accelerating business changes fueled by AI. 

Fortunately, these two challenges may share a common solution: Gen Z is arguably the most AI-ready generation, as today’s new LinkedIn data suggests. 

Compared with other generations, Gen Z members are 3x more likely to add C++ skills, 6x more likely to take a course on technology and design ethics, and nearly 2x more likely to take a course on machine learning with Python. 

Put simply, Gen Z is already adding skills to take advantage of AI advances — and they’re eager to learn more: As the 2024 Future of Recruiting report recently highlighted, Gen Z is the generation most likely to prioritize a new job where they can learn valuable new skills.

So, looking to hire more Gen Z candidates? Consider offering learning resources for AI skills. Looking to keep pace with skill changes accelerated by AI? Consider focusing on Gen Z candidates eager to learn those new skills. 

Now, let’s take a closer look at how Gen Z differentiates itself from other generations: the skills they’re more likely to add, the courses they’re more likely to take, and the AI-specific courses they’re more likely to learn from. 

Gen Z is adding coding, creative, and service skills 

First, let’s consider the skills that make Gen Z unique. To figure that out, we analyzed all the skills added to members’ profiles over the past four years, then calculated which skills were over-indexed by Gen Z. 

In other words, if you looked at all the LinkedIn members who developed these particular skills, you’d see a much greater share of Gen Z members than you’d find in the overall population of LinkedIn. 

What emerges is a clear focus on tech skills: C++, C, MATLAB, and Java are all programming languages, while Canva and SOLIDWORKS are software tools for graphic design and 3D design, respectively. 

While some coders might worry that generative AI (GAI) is coming for their jobs, recent studies have suggested they’ll be among the most empowered: Developers working with AI assistance worked 56% faster, and the less-experienced engineers saw the greatest benefits. That means Gen Z workers with coding skills are well positioned to make the most out of GAI advances. 

Interestingly, Gen Z also stood out for two particularly in-person skills: cashiering and working with children. As demand for these kinds of onsite roles rises, those skills may prove more valuable in the future than they’ve been in the past. 

Gen Z is studying up on ethics, intellectual property, and creativity

Now, we turn from what skills Gen Z is adding to their LinkedIn profiles to what courses they’re taking on LinkedIn Learning. As with the previous list, this analysis looks at where Gen Z is over-indexed relative to the overall population. 

LinkedIn Learning Courses That Gen Z Takes More Than Other Generations

These are the LinkedIn Learning courses most likely to be taken by Gen Z members, as compared with members of other generations. 

1. Understanding Patents: A Deeper Dive +8.0x more likely to be taken by Gen Z
2. Technology and Design Ethics +6.0x
3. Writing White Papers +5.6x
4. Copyright for Creatives: Protecting Your Work +5.1x
5. Understanding Intellectual Property +4.8x
6. Ideation for Leaders +4.5x
7. Revenue, Staffing, and Expense Models Explained +4.0x
8. Creative Exercises to Spark Original Thinking +3.8x
9. Unique Ways to Generate Creative Ideas +3.8x
10. Getting Your Ideas Approved +3.8x

What we see paints an intriguing picture. Gen Z members are disproportionately taking courses on intellectual property protections, ethics in technology and design, and creative ideation — which may signal an entrepreneurial bent or greater involvement in the “creator economy.” 

While AI-specific courses didn’t make it into the top 10 (see the next section), most of these classes could be considered AI-adjacent. Intellectual property and ethics are key concerns in the commercial use of GAI, and while that technology can help generate new ideas, workers still need to know how to put those ideas into action in a business context. 

If you’re hoping to attract more Gen Z candidates, show them how they’ll be in a position to learn the skills covered by these courses. 

Among AI-specific courses, Gen Z emphasizes engineering

Finally, let’s zoom in further to only consider AI-specific LinkedIn Learning courses, and see again where Gen Z tends to be overrepresented. 

AI Courses That Gen Z Takes More Than Other Generations

These are the AI-related LinkedIn Learning courses most likely to be taken by Gen Z members, as compared with members of other generations. 

1. Machine Learning with Python: Logistic Regression +94% more likely to be taken by Gen Z
2. Building Computer Vision Applications with Python +86%
3. Machine Learning with Python: Decision Trees +70%
4. ChatGPT for Web Developers +66%
5. Transitioning into Machine Learning Engineering +60%
6. Machine Learning Foundations: Calculus +59%
7. Training Neural Networks in Python +59%
8. Machine Learning and AI Foundations: Prediction, Causation, and Statistical Inference +53%
9. Generative AI: The Evolution of Thoughtful Online Search +48%
10. Ethics in the Age of Generative AI +38%
    

Here we see Gen Z’s focus on technical aspects of AI. While there are plenty of courses for non-engineers about using new AI tools, the courses that Gen Z gravitates toward are much more aimed at engineers who are building new AI tools. 

So, Gen Z members aren’t just well positioned to reap the rewards of AI advancements — they’re also likely to be the people actually advancing the technology and applying it within their businesses. 

Final thoughts

Gen Z is not just preparing for the future — they’re actively shaping it. With a keen interest in AI and related fields, they are equipping themselves with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate and influence the rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Their unique blend of technical prowess, ethical awareness, and creative ideation positions them at the forefront of AI advancements. As they continue to learn and grow, their contributions will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in how AI transforms our world.

For businesses, this underscores the importance of not only attracting Gen Z talent but also fostering an environment that supports their learning and growth. By doing so, organizations can ensure they remain at the cutting edge of innovation, harnessing the power of AI through the lens of a generation that understands and embraces it.

For everyone, regardless of generation, who wants to learn more about AI, LinkedIn has unlocked 250 AI courses, making them free until April 5, 2024.

Methodology

For top courses, the analysis looks at English-language courses that learners have taken from 2022 onward. The skills-added portion of the analysis includes the last four years (January 2020 to December 2023) and considers explicit skills only (that is, those members who explicitly add a skill to their profiles). An odds-ratio analysis was taken to compare the share of Gen Z members who have taken a course or have added a skill against the share of other generations.