These are the AI skills Gen Z should have

I wear two hats that give me a specific view on AI in education. As a mother, I care deeply about how my children are being prepared for the future. As a marketing executive whose role includes hiring entry-level employees, I care about whether the latest generation is ready for the workforce. What I’m seeing in schools right now gives me pause. I’m a positive person, but I think it’s important to have this conversation. The default approach to AI in most classrooms is restriction. Limit it. Ban it from assignments. Treat it like a cheat code that undermines learning. I understand the logic. Original thought matters. Critical thinking matters. If students outsource their homework to an LLM, they miss out on the struggle (and I mean struggle in a good way) that builds real understanding and critical thinking. The problem is that some are teaching students that AI is an all-or-nothing proposition. Either you’re cheating with it or you’re avoiding it entirely. That framing will leave them unprepared for future jobs, especially as AI continues seeing broad enterprise adoption. It’s not realistic, and it’s a recipe for bigger problems. WHAT I LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING For me, candidates sta…