Teenagers want to learn skills AI ‘can’t replace’

Half (50 per cent) said AI had already made them rethink their career goals, while 53 per cent said their school had encouraged them to use AI because of the opportunities it offers.

The research was commissioned by Glasgow Kelvin College to mark National Opportunity Day 2026, its annual campaign highlighting the range of education, training and career opportunities available to people at different stages of their lives.

The study suggests AI is already deeply embedded in the lives of Scottish teenagers – but also that many young people are thinking critically about how to use it and the skills they will need in future.

Half of the 13-18 year-old respondents (50 per cent) said they pay for a premium AI service – a sign of the value teens place on the technology – while 58 per cent said they know when to use AI and when to test themselves without it.

Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) said the rise of AI had made them question things they see online more often, while 56 per cent believe they are good at spotting AI use in pictures, social media or writing.

The findings come as artificial intelligence increasingly affects not only education but the world of employment young people will enter after leaving it, from searching and applying for jobs to the way employers screen candidates and assess skills.

The survey, conducted by independent insights agency Opinion Matters, found AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Snapchat AI and Copilot are now a routine part of teenage life. Half (50.5 per cent) use AI at least once a day, including 9 per cent who use it three or more times daily. More than nine-in-10 (92 per cent) use it at least two or three times a week, while just 1 per cent said they never use it.

Respondents said they use the technology for a wide range of purposes, with almost a third (32 per cent) using AI to find information or answer everyday questions, while 29 per cent use it for homework or schoolwork, and 28 per cent to explain things they do not understand. Around a quarter use it to revise for exams (26 per cent) and to generate creative ideas such as art, music or stories (24 per cent). Others use AI for entertainment (22 per cent), help writing emails or messages (21 per cent) and coding or computer programming (20 per cent).

The research also asked teenagers which careers they considered to be ‘AI-proof’ – defined in the survey as jobs they believe will always need people even as AI becomes more common – with practical and people-focused professions dominating answers.

Plumber topped the list (31 per cent), followed by electrician (30 per cent), hairdresser or barber (30 per cent), nurse (29 per cent), mechanic (27 per cent) and social worker (27 per cent). Chef (26 per cent), engineer (26 per cent), joiner (23 per cent) and teacher (23 per cent) also featured prominently. Just 1.7 per cent said they believed no career was AI-proof.

The findings also reveal a generation balancing optimism about the opportunities presented by AI with an awareness of the potential challenges.

More than half (54 per cent) believe AI represents an opportunity for their career prospects and 55 per cent said they know it will affect their future but are not worried about it. At the same time, 56 per cent are worried about its impact on their career prospects and the same proportion believe it could make finding a job harder.

Around 5-in-10 respondents (53 per cent) said they believe colleges provide the best route to ‘AI-proof’ careers.

Robin Ashton, Vice Principal of Curriculum and Quality Enhancement at Glasgow Kelvin College, said the findings show young people are already thinking seriously about what AI means for their education, skills and careers.

He said: “What stands out from these findings is just how switched on young people are to AI and the impact it is likely to have on their future. They aren't simply using the technology, many are already thinking about where it can help them, where they need to rely on their own abilities and, importantly, which human skills are likely to become more valuable as AI develops.

“There is sometimes a tendency to talk about young people as though AI is something happening to them, but these findings paint a more nuanced picture. This is a generation growing up with technology and learning how to navigate it.

“That doesn't mean there aren't challenges young people themselves recognise the risks of becoming over-reliant on AI and are concerned about what it could mean for employment – but they are also questioning what they see online, thinking about when AI is useful and considering how their own skills will need to evolve.

“That is where colleges have an increasingly important role to play. Glasgow Kelvin College gives people the opportunity to develop the practical, technical and interpersonal skills employers need, while also learning how emerging technologies can complement those skills.”