Gen Z is turning to AI for learning faster than any other generation, but the payoff is not landing in real life. In a new survey from language-learning platform Preply, 92% of Gen Z respondents said they used AI for learning. Yet 57% said they struggled to put what they learned into practice.
Preply surveyed more than 5,000 working professionals across nine countries who had tried to develop a career-related skill in the previous year. The gap was not limited to one subject. The topics included data science and AI, business management, and public speaking.
The same pattern showed up in the broader workforce. Across all working adults ages 18 to 55, 76% said they spent more time learning than they did two years ago. But 52% said that extra time did not always bring better results.
Among Gen Z respondents, nearly three-quarters, or 71%, said they felt busy learning without improving. That compared with 56% of Gen X respondents. The survey also found that 51% said their employer paid for some or all of the learning.
Josh Crossick, Preply’s chief product officer, said learning is a process that includes acquiring knowledge, practicing, and building confidence over time. He said AI is able to support that journey, but it is 'far from the whole journey.'
Apratim Purakayastha, then general manager of talent development solutions at workplace training company Skillsoft, said AI practice tools have limits. 'But this does not replace coaching,' he said.
Crossick pointed to his own experience learning Spanish in Spain for six years. He said a tutor helped with grammar and vocabulary, but also rehearsed practical conversations, including taking his children to the doctor. In that setting, he said, a person has to keep going even when a mistake happens.
'With another person, you’re in the role play. You have to keep going,' Crossick said. He said that risk matters because confidence grows through success.
AI can make practice material easier to find. Todd Hughes, who trains language tutors at Rosetta Stone, said he asks ChatGPT to generate Swedish reading passages at his level so he can practice without searching for suitable texts. 'For me, the whole AI thing is like this huge library,' Hughes said.
But easier access does not guarantee better execution. The survey suggests companies are spending money on learning while many workers still do not feel ready to bring those skills into the office. That matters because the real value of training is not the certificate. It is productivity.
The numbers come first. If workers can prompt a chatbot but cannot apply the answer when the task gets messy, the market has already identified the weakness. AI may speed up information. It does not replace judgment, repetition, or coaching.
Capital rewards clear rules. The administrative state and corporate training budgets alike should care less about flashy tools and more about whether workers can perform under pressure. That is where skill becomes value.
