Australian Gen Z feel less connected using AI tools

Research from Ogilvy Consulting and Ideally found that Australian Gen Z feels less connected to others when using AI tools. Australia was the only market surveyed where AI was a net negative for connection.

The findings come from Gen Z Pulse, a survey of more than 2,000 people aged 18 to 28 across Australia, the US and the UK. In Australia, 31% of respondents said AI tools made them feel less connected to other people, the highest share across the three markets.

The research adds to a broader picture of digital ambivalence among young Australians. While Australian respondents were described as heavy users of AI, they were also more likely than their peers in the US and UK to say digital connection falls short of in-person contact.

More than half, 55%, said digital connection helps, but time spent together in person remains essential. Another 21% said digital connection feels incomplete, again the highest result among the three countries surveyed.

Digital strain

The study also found that emotional support ranked above career or financial guidance for Australian Gen Z. Some 45% said they wanted support with mental health and emotional wellbeing, more than in the US or the UK, while 39% pointed to physical health.

This suggests concerns about connection sit alongside broader daily pressures. Across all markets, sleep was the first thing young adults tended to sacrifice when life became too full, at about 21%, while work or study was the last to be given up, at about 5% to 6%.

The researchers identified four tensions shaping how Gen Z lives: function, control, identity and presence. These themes were used to assess how young adults balance optimisation against indulgence, independence against guidance, individual identity against collective connection, and digital life against the need for physical presence.

Australia stood out in the control category. A quarter of Australian respondents said they wanted to make important decisions entirely on their own, compared with 21% in the US and 17% in the UK.

Only 7% of Australian respondents said they rarely seek guidance at all, suggesting that independence does not mean a complete rejection of outside advice. Young Australians instead tend to seek support selectively rather than avoid it altogether.

Brand gap

The research also pointed to a gap between brands and younger consumers. Fewer than 30% of Gen Z respondents said brands truly understand them, and fewer still said brands share their values.

Australian respondents were also the most likely to say recognition and status within a brand community mattered to them. That figure was 18% in Australia, compared with 15% in the US and 13% in the UK.

The combination of autonomy and a desire for recognition presents a challenge for marketers trying to engage younger audiences without appearing intrusive. The report argued that imported assumptions about Gen Z do not translate neatly across markets.

Reid Litman, Global director, Ogilvy Consulting, said the findings showed that young adults are navigating pressures that force earlier trade-offs than previous generations faced.

"Gen Z isn't confused, but they are making trade-offs earlier and more often than previous generations. Their instincts are increasingly global, but the resolution depends on the context of the market. Australian Gen Zers are the most self-directed of any we surveyed, more likely than their US or UK peers to want the final call on their own life decisions. Brands still marketing a single, imported idea of Gen Z are missing the key traits that actually define this market," Litman said.

George Robertson, Global agency lead at Ideally, said the Australian results differed from the other markets in the study.

"The Australian story is distinct. This is the most self-directed Gen Z market in the study, and the one feeling the limits of digital connection most sharply. The brief for brands is clear. Respect their autonomy, offer connection that's opt-in and real, and earn recognition rather than demand attention. You can't guess your way there. Be curious, and seek to understand," Robertson said.