By Arkansas Black Vitality Staff

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – May 8, 2025 –  A new study by Heartland Forward, Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation reveals that Generation Z youth in the Midwest U.S. are embracing artificial intelligence (AI), but feel largely unprepared for an AI-driven future due to gaps in education and workplace policies.

In a survey of nearly 1,500 young people aged 13 to 28 living across 20 heartland states, including Arkansas, 77% report using generative AI tools like ChatGPT, with 43% saying they do so weekly. Despite this widespread adoption, only 10% of K-12 students reported that their teachers have helped prepare them to use AI in future jobs or education, and only 9% of working Gen Zers felt extremely prepared to use AI at work.

“Artificial intelligence is reshaping tomorrow’s economy and redefining how we compete, learn, and innovate today,” said Ross DeVol, CEO and chairman of the board of the Bentonville-based think tank. “These findings underscore the pressing need for expanded AI training and education across the Heartland. That’s why Heartland Forward is committed to preparing the middle of the country to lead on AI by encouraging innovation, supporting forward-looking public policies, and delivering accessible upskilling opportunities.”

The findings were presented on Thursday (May 8) by Angie Cooper, president and COO of Heartland Forward, and Romy Drucker, director of the education program at the Walton Family Foundation. The presentation took place at the Heartland Summit, Heartland Forward’s flagship event in Bentonville, bringing together approximately 350 policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, business leaders, philanthropists and thought leaders from across the country.

Gen Z Is Embracing AI, but Schools Struggle

Other details from the study show that nearly half (47%) of middle and high school students in America’s Heartland report using AI for homework and learning outside of school. Yet only about one in four (26%) say their school has a clear AI policy permitting its use.

This highlights a significant disconnect between students’ eagerness to adopt emerging technologies and the readiness of educational institutions to support that adoption. Despite limited formal support, interest in AI education remains strong: About half of Gen Z students say they would enroll in a class on AI if it were offered, even among those attending schools that currently ban its use.

Gaps in Access: Rural, Low-Income and Industry Divides

While enthusiasm for AI is high, access to meaningful AI learning opportunities varies widely. Young people in non-metro areas of the Heartland are 11 percentage points less likely to use AI weekly compared to their peers in metro areas (34% vs. 45%), and are less likely to say their schools have clear AI policies permitting its use (19% vs. 28%).

Workplace gaps also exist: Gen Zers employed in STEM fields (61%) and education (59%) are far more likely to report that their employers allow AI use compared to just 10% of healthcare workers and 17% of those in blue-collar or service jobs. These gaps in access and opportunity risk deepening existing inequalities if left unaddressed.

Clear Policies Drive Confidence and Readiness

The report also finds that clear school and workplace policies permitting and encouraging AI use strongly correlate with greater AI engagement, confidence and learning among Gen Z youth. In contrast, institutions that ban AI or fail to establish clear guidelines see significantly lower rates of adoption, particularly among students and workers in rural and lower-income areas. Without deliberate action to build AI literacy, many young people in the Heartland risk being left behind in an increasingly AI-driven economy.

Results from the survey are based on a Gallup Panel web survey conducted March 6-13, 2025, with a sample of 3,465 13- to 28-year-olds living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Gallup Panel is a probability-based panel of U.S. adults who are randomly selected using address-based sampling methodology. Gallup also recruits using random–digit-dial phone interviews that cover landline and cellphones.

Within the overall sample, 1,517 13- to 18-year-old children were reached through adult members of the Gallup Panel who indicated they had at least one child 18 or younger living in their household. The remaining 1,948 18- to 28-year-old respondents are members of the Gallup Panel.

The majority of this report focuses on the 1,474 Gen Z children and adults living in one of the 20 heartland states. This includes 638 13- to 18-year-old children reached through their Panel member parents, and 836 adult Panel members.

For the total sample of 1,474 Gen Z respondents in the Midwest, the margin of sampling error is ±3.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For the sample of 610 children still enrolled in K-12 school, the margin of sampling error is ±5.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For the sample of 864 Gen Z youth who are no longer enrolled in K-12 school, the margin of sampling error is ±5.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Margins of error for subgroups are higher.

Founded in 2019 by members of the Walton family, Heartland Forward focuses on advancing economic performance in the heart of the United States to accelerate $500 million in economic impact in the Midwest by 2030. These regions encompass the 20 states in the central part of the country, including Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

The Walton Foundation, a family-led organization established by Walmart founders Sam and Helen Walton, focuses on education and lifelong opportunities, protecting rivers, oceans, and the communities they support, and advancing the home regions of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta.

In 2024, the Northwest Arkansas philanthropic group awarded $548.8 million in grants to further the foundation’s mission. The foundation has offices in Bentonville, Washington, D.C., Denver, and Jersey City, N.J.