Gen X workers express more positive views of their employers’ use of artificial intelligence than millennials and Gen Z workers, according to a Glassdoor analysis of employee reviews. The findings point to a growing workplace divide: senior employees often see AI as a useful tool or a business opportunity, while younger workers more often connect it with fewer entry-level jobs, unrealistic demands, and loss of control over their work.
Glassdoor finds that 47% of AI-related comments from Gen X workers are positive. That compares with 40% among millennials and 33% among Gen Z. The overall picture remains cautious across every generation, however, as critical comments outnumber positive ones in the broader review data.
The difference comes as companies use generative AI to automate tasks that have traditionally helped people begin their careers. Customer support, research, basic writing, and marketing drafts are among the areas facing increased automation. Indeed data cited in the analysis shows postings for senior roles rose 14.7% in the year through May 2026, while entry-level postings fell 6.3%.
Older employees may also be better placed to work effectively with large language models. Glassdoor senior economist Chris Martin tells Bloomberg that experienced workers can generally write more precise prompts and are better able to recognize inaccurate model outputs. Those skills can make AI more useful as an assistant rather than a replacement.
That does not mean younger workers avoid the technology. Deloitte data cited by Bloomberg indicates that more than three quarters of Gen Z workers have used standalone AI tools, compared with slightly more than a third of Gen X workers. The gap is therefore not simply about familiarity with AI. It reflects who benefits from the way employers are deploying it.
Frustration extends beyond job losses
Glassdoor’s review analysis shows that concerns about redundancy are the largest single source of negative sentiment, accounting for 20% of critical comments. But employees also cite forced use of unreliable tools, disruption to core work, worse customer experiences, workplace surveillance, and higher productivity targets.
Some of the sharpest criticism comes from roles already exposed to automation. Insurance claims workers are almost uniformly negative in comments about company AI efforts, according to the analysis. Writers, accountants, customer service representatives, and journalists also lean strongly negative. Software engineers are more skeptical than software architects, despite working in closely related fields.
At the same time, positive feedback tends to fall into two groups. Some workers praise companies that benefit commercially from the AI boom. Others value employers that provide useful tools, training, and support for adoption. Negative reviews also include a smaller group of employees who want more AI access and criticize their companies for moving too slowly.
Gender adds another divide. Men describe AI positively in 45% of relevant comments, compared with 32% for women. Among Gen Z workers, only 21% of AI comments from women are positive, while the figure is 42% for men. Glassdoor says occupational and industry differences do not fully explain that gap among younger workers.
The data comes from voluntary Glassdoor reviews and does not represent the entire US workforce. The platform also notes that dissatisfied workers may be more likely to post reviews. Still, the steep rise in AI mentions, and the fall in positive sentiment over time, suggest that employee concerns now reach far beyond a general fear of technological change.
Sources
- Glassdoor analysis finds 47% of Gen X workers write positively about their companies’ AI use, compared with 40% of millennials and 33% of Gen Z workers – Bloomberg
- AI sentiment is turning sour as employee reviews reveal growing frustration across the workforce – The Decoder
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