CURATED READS FOR GEN Z—AND THEIR Z-CURIOUS COLLEAGUES

first up

Welcome back! This week, we’re talking about AI for social good, bad bosses, and the explosion of CareerTok.

Idealists sometimes get a bad rap for prioritizing their vision of a utopian world over the practicality of the one we live in. But not Gen Zers, who are known for both their idealism and their pragmatism. They’re interested in making a stable income, although compensation isn’t their only motivation. Career development and meaningful work are just as important to them. In fact, we might call Gen Zers “ideal-matists.” (Voilà, a new portmanteau is born.)

So where does that leave Gen Z professionally? A new report from QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, could help illuminate a career path for Z babies.

In 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet, and spread peace and prosperity around the world. AI is already being used to further some of these aims, such as establishing sustainable cities and providing quality education for all. And generative AI (gen AI) opens up even more possibilities, according to the findings of the report, helmed by McKinsey Global Institute partner Michael Chui and coauthors. Gen AI can enhance productivity, including through personalization and language translation, and can democratize access to knowledge. These are just a few of its 600 use cases that could address social and environmental challenges related to the UN SDGs, Chui and coauthors write.

In theory, sure. What about in practice? Let’s take the UN SDG of peace, justice, and strong institutions as an example. Machine learning could be used “to detect and curb the spread of misinformation, provide access to information that enables advocacy for policy change, and improve measurement of specific policy interventions,” the report finds.

AI is only one part of the puzzle, though. The report tells us that finding and keeping AI talent is the second-biggest challenge in deploying AI to achieve SDG targets, according to experts surveyed (representing 48 organizations across 17 countries). It falls just behind data availability, accessibility, and quality and is ahead of organization receptiveness and change management. Even though there’s more AI talent globally today than there was just a few years ago, that talent is unevenly distributed in countries such as Germany, India, and the United States.

This is where Gen Z comes in. Zoomers—many of whom have already expressed an interest in gen AI and a disinterest in traditional tech work (at least for the time being)—could bring their emerging AI skill set to SDG work. One way to do that is to pursue AI alongside “other areas, such as sustainable development, specific organizational contexts, or local culture,” a combination that “can be especially hard to come by,” Chui and coauthors say, since talent in not-for-profit companies may not yet be well versed in AI.

Businesses that don’t focus on SDGs can also help by offering their Gen Z talent opportunities to pursue this kind of work alongside their day jobs. That may mean allowing data science teams to work on SDG projects for partner organizations—such as DataKind, a global not-for-profit organization that pairs global data science talent with SDG projects, and similar groups—or providing time to develop these projects in-house. (Some of the biggest tech companies are already doing this.)

The result? A win–win–win situation. Gen Zers may find that their work has greater purpose, employers may more easily retain their younger employees, and the world may become a better place. Three cheers for Gen Z. 

VISUALIZE IT

Agriculture accounts for nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, but sustainable farming practices need to show an ROI if farmers are to adopt them.

WAIT, DON’T SCROLL

Failing up. Narcissism, overconfidence, low emotional quotient. Sound like a boss you know?

Healthcare dot love. The share of consumers who trust healthcare organizations with their data is more than double the share of those who trust technology or retail organizations.

Tap to pay. In Latin America, it’s not Gen Zers who say mobile payments are their preferred payment method. Can you guess who it is?

NOT US; STILL GREAT

Scroll for a role. CareerTok, or the corner of the internet where Gen Zers post and read about career experiences, could upend traditional job search behavior. [Economist]

The new status symbol. Zoomers are flocking to technical expertise, not logos, in fashion. [Vogue Business]

CROSSWORD

—Edited by Alexandra Mondalek, editor, New York