Written by Chris Caren – June 16, 2026

Imagine: A hiring manager is interviewing a promising Gen Z candidate for an entry-level position. This student relied heavily on AI to write their essays in college. The candidate demonstrates familiarity with how to effectively leverage AI tools, which is critical to the role, but when the manager asks the candidate to assess an AI output, the candidate struggles. 

We assume Gen Z should be both AI-native and critical thinkers, but many are headed toward only having the former.