The AI skills gap is turning Gen Z into workplace mentors

• Key Insight: Discover how reverse mentorship is shifting tech expertise from seniors to Gen Z employees.
• What's at Stake: Competitive agility and talent retention hinge on cross-generational AI skill transfer.
• Forward Look: Prepare for institutionalizing reverse mentorship as a standard professional development practice.
• Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

Older doesn't always mean wiser — a lesson Gen Z is teaching their older colleagues as they flaunt their advanced knowledge of all things tech. 

Sixty-two percent of Gen Z employees are actively helping their senior colleagues upskill in AI, according to research from the International Workplace Group (IWG). This shift highlights the continued trend of "reverse mentorship," where young talent are the ones to support veteran employees in areas where they lack expertise. This is reshaping workplace dynamics, breaking down standard hierarchies, fostering collaboration across generations and ensuring organizations stay agile in an era of rapid technological change.

"The role of senior folks in the organization and how they pass knowledge to employees by coaching and mentoring them is changing rapidly in our world," says Bob Kocis, president and COO of software company Aptean. "With AI becoming more readily available, we're going to be looking to different sources to close that knowledge gap." 

Read more: Gen Z and millennials surpass older generations on retirement readiness

Traditionally, workplace mentorship has been treated as a one-on-one professional program where older, more experienced employees are paired with newer members of the company to help them with career advice or to guide them through the knowledge transfer of the specific skills needed to succeed in their organization. However, as technology and AI have rapidly transformed the way people work, from recruiting initiatives to benefit administration, veteran employees are increasingly turning to younger, more tech-savvy colleagues to learn about the innovative solutions their organizations have adopted — or are likely to adopt soon, Kocis says.

Overall, reverse mentorship efforts are proving to be effective. In fact, according to IWG, 72% of younger workers said their coaching has improved overall team productivity, with 77% of directors agreeing that Gen Z's AI knowledge has boosted their department's performance.

"All generations are embracing AI;, it's not just the out-of-school cohort," Kocis says. "There are groups of employees across every age demographic championing AI and coming up with incredibly exciting opportunities for both internal and external uses." 

The secret to reverse mentorship

Effective communication has to be a two-way street, Kocis says. Leaders need to listen to their teams and recognize that great ideas can come from any level of the organization. People adopt and understand new technology at different paces, so it's crucial to bring everyone along collaboratively. By fostering an environment where employees feel excited about progressive solutions, organizations can reduce stress during transitions, unlock higher-impact ideas and ensure leaders and teams embrace change together, Kocis says. But moving toward change needs to be a shared experience. 

Read more: AI proficiency is becoming a must for benefit teams

"HR and benefit leaders play a pivotal role in every company's transformation and the education of the employees," Kocis says. "But it can't just be them — it's up to everybody to carry the torch and drive the initiative forward." 

Traditional mentorship still remains essential, especially for providing guidance on things like business acumen, professional conduct and situational leadership, skills that only come with years of experience and a long tenure. Leaders will need to learn how to balance both, Kocis says. 

"Organizations that are able to realize that mentorship can't be siloed and that it has to be part of the very fabric of professional development efforts are the ones that really thrive," he says. "Transitions will be a lot smoother, people will become more productive and job satisfaction will rise."