Future Ready Leadership With Jacob Morgan Bank of America on Gen Z Fears, AI Slowing Productivity, and the Rise of Workplace Non-Compliers
Jan 6, 2026
Explore the anxieties Gen Z faces regarding AI in the workplace, while Bank of America emphasizes mentorship and growth. Discover how AI can paradoxically slow down productivity by shifting developers into heavier verification roles. Learn about a significant investment in pre-apprenticeships aimed at prioritizing competence over credentials. The conversation also touches on how AI can facilitate four-day workweeks and the evolving debate on work flexibility. Lastly, high performers are increasingly bypassing return-to-office mandates, highlighting a new era of workplace empowerment.
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Gen Z Fears Irrelevance, Not Entitlement
- Gen Z job applicants express anxiety that AI will make them irrelevant rather than entitled or disengaged.
- Jacob Morgan argues confidence and visible skill pathways are now economic inputs for employers to rebuild ambition.
AI Turns Builders Into Quality Controllers
- AI shifts work from execution to human judgment, increasing decision weight and mental load for employees.
- Leaders must decide where judgment belongs and protect it as a scarce organizational resource.
Hire For Competence With Apprenticeships
- Invest in pre-apprenticeships to surface competence earlier rather than relying on credentials alone.
- Use paid, structured learning pathways to build judgment through repetition under real constraints.
