Three‑quarters (75 per cent) of Gen Zs say they’ve used a generative AI tool like ChatGPT, Gemini or Midjourney, with 58 per cent revealing they use it at least weekly. Gen Zs are twice as likely to research products via AI‑powered assistants or chatbots (34 per cent of Gen Zs vs 17 per cent of millennials), per Archrival data.

However, again, Gen Zs are not turning to AI for simple, mindless answers.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says that different generations use ChatGPT differently: older consumers tend to use it as a search tool, like Google, while Gen Zs are leveraging ChatGPT as an operating system, plugging in a complex array of data for it to analyse for a range of different scenarios.

“I think a lot of people view ChatGPT as a person,” says Scanlon. “I don’t know if it’d be friction in the traditional sense, because it does simplify so many things, but I think it’s sort of a category within itself where it’s very personal. You’re not seeing what other people are talking about, it’s not the comment section, it’s just you in this chatbot. And so I think it’s a different relationship psychologically than going to TikTok to try to find what to wear.”

“Gen Zs don’t want to be told what to do; they’d rather feel like they’re figuring things out on their own,” says Bayla Metzger, senior editor of thought leadership at Archrival. “So they’re using ChatGPT like an advisor, even like a sparring partner, which will challenge them as they make life decisions big and small.”

AI enables Gen Zs to lean on tech, while still feeling like they’re retaining their personal agency in terms of problem‑solving and decision‑making.

When it comes to shopping, AI helps young consumers along the way, by double‑checking product reviews or finding cheaper alternatives — but it goes deeper than that. “I use ChatGPT to summarise a company’s values, and see if I want to purchase from them,” says Chicago‑based student Inthisone. “This summer, I’m interning for Kohl’s, which is obviously a big retail company. Before I applied and had my first phone screening, I wanted to make sure that my own values align with theirs and that they work to have a positive impact on the world.”