generation human
listening to the generation shaping the future of humanity
Generation Human is a global listening initiative exploring how young people are thinking about humanity, leadership, technology, creativity, and the future in the age of AI.
Drawing on the perspectives of 453 young people across 12 countries, the report surfaces the values, tensions, and hopes shaping a generation coming of age alongside artificial intelligence.
We began with a question.
As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes how we learn, work, create, and communicate, one question feels increasingly urgent:
What kind of humans, and what kind of leaders, does the future need?
Thousands of open-ended responses analyzed.
Generation Human was created to listen to young people navigating a world being transformed by technology in real time.
Across cultures, communities, and backgrounds, young people are already developing their own language around identity, creativity, connection, purpose, and the role technology will play in shaping the future.
These are not final conclusions. They are human signals: emotional patterns, tensions, hopes, fears, and emerging perspectives from a generation coming of age alongside AI.
453 young people
ages
7–25
12 countries represented
Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, Nepal, Panama, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, and the USA
Themes explored included:
What makes us human
How technology affects relationships and identity
Creativity and self-expression
Optimism and fear around AI
Human connection and belonging
Leadership and the future
what we heard
Young people are not rejecting technology, they are searching for balance.
Across responses, young people rarely framed technology itself as “bad.” Instead, many expressed a desire for healthier relationships with technology and more intentional human connection.
The tension was not technology versus humanity.
It was imbalance versus presence.
Many respondents described wanting technology to support human life rather than replace meaningful experiences, relationships, or creativity.
“Technology helps us connect, but sometimes it also makes people feel far away.”
“AI can help people, but we still need real conversations.”
What this may signal:
Young people may be less interested in resisting technology than in redefining how humans coexist with it.
Human connection remains the strongest definition of humanity.
When asked what makes people human, respondents consistently returned to themes of connection, empathy, love, family, friendship, and emotional understanding.
Very few answers defined humanity through intelligence or productivity.
Humanity was described relationally.
“Being human means caring about other people.”
“Humans feel emotions and connect with each other.”
“Love is what makes us human.”
What this may signal:
As AI systems become more capable, emotional intelligence and human connection may become even more central to how younger generations define meaning and leadership.
Creativity is deeply tied to identity.
Many young people described creativity not simply as an activity, but as an essential part of being human.
Art, music, storytelling, imagination, and self-expression appeared repeatedly throughout responses.
This was especially notable when discussing fears around AI-generated content.
“Creativity comes from experiences and emotions.”
“AI can create things, but humans create meaning.”
What this may signal:
Younger generations may increasingly view creativity as a core human differentiator in an AI-driven world
Young people hold both hope and anxiety about the future.
Responses revealed a striking duality.
Many participants expressed optimism about technology improving education, health, opportunity, and innovation. At the same time, concerns emerged around loneliness, overdependence on technology, misinformation, and loss of authentic human interaction.
Hope and fear coexist.
“Technology can solve problems, but people still need to know how to be kind.”
“I think AI will help the future, but I worry people will stop thinking for themselves.”
What this may signal:
This generation may not divide the future into “pro-technology” or “anti-technology,” but instead into systems that strengthen humanity versus systems that diminish it.
discover all the human signals, regional perspectives, methodology, and key findings
Presented by BE Human
developed in partnership with
supported by the
