44% of Generation Z employees admit to sabotaging the introduction of AI in companies

Almost half of Generation Z employees admit that they are actively hindering the implementation of AI strategies by their employers – this is shown by a new large-scale study, which sheds light on the growing tension between corporate ambitions in the field of artificial intelligence and the people who actually have to work with these technologies. The data outlines a hidden conflict: employers are insisting on the accelerated implementation of AI, while some of the young employees perceive it as a direct threat to their jobs.

Hidden rebellion in the office

The results are from the "Writer" company's report "Implementing AI in a corporate environment – 2026", published on Monday jointly with the research firm "Workplace Intelligence". 2,400 office employees from the USA, Great Britain and Europe were surveyed as part of the study. It turns out that 29% of all participants have sabotaged their company's AI strategy to some extent, and this share reaches 44% among representatives of Generation Z.

Of those who admit to sabotage, 30% cite the fear of losing their jobs as a motive. The forms of resistance are diverse: employees enter sensitive corporate data into unauthorized public AI tools, openly refuse to use approved internal platforms, and in some cases intentionally degrade the quality of work or manipulate performance evaluations to present AI in an unfavorable light. Management is also aware of the scale of the problem – 76% of the managers in the sample admit that sabotage by employees poses a serious threat to the future of their business.

Growing expectations versus growing anxiety

The wave of discontent is developing against the background of rapidly increasing requirements for newcomers, driven by the rise of AI. A separate study, published the same week by SAP and "Wakefield Research" among 100 "Human Resources" directors of American companies, shows that 88% of them believe that AI helps young professionals reach the necessary level of competence faster.

Seventy-nine percent of HR directors share that they provide new employees with corporate AI tools during the first month of work, and 87% already expect them to either confidently master AI or start mastering it immediately. At the same time, 56% admit that beginners often resort to unsanctioned AI solutions when internal instructions are unclear, and 44% warn that unequal access to approved tools increases the risk of turnover among junior staff who feel that they are "falling behind the pace".

Structural, not just cultural conflict

Behind this tension are also deeper structural processes. According to a study published this month by economists at "Goldman Sachs", artificial intelligence leads to a net disappearance of about 16,000 jobs per month in the USA, with entry-level positions and employees from Generation Z being the most affected. For young people, this turns AI from a "tool for the future" into an immediate threat to their careers.

The CEO of "Writer" May Habib warns that mass layoffs are not a sustainable AI strategy. "Those leaders who are actually restructuring their operations, putting the collaboration between people and AI agents at the center, are accumulating an advantage," Habib emphasizes. According to her, the true potential of technology is revealed when it relieves routine work and allows employees to focus on tasks with higher added value.

Mismatch between corporate declarations and real practices

The "Writer" report also shows another paradox: 60% of companies state that they are ready to fire employees who refuse to master AI, although 75% of top managers in the same organizations admit that their AI strategy exists "more for the public", than as a real internal guideline. Thus, employees feel strong pressure to accept technologies whose specific application is often not clear even to the management.

Experts warn that if this gap between expectations and reality is not reduced through clear processes, training and honest dialogue, sabotage can turn from an isolated phenomenon into a lasting protective reflex. And this would slow down not only the implementation of AI, but also the overall digital transformation that companies rely on to remain competitive.