Education Is Not a Search for Short Cuts. No Kidding?
May 20, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
I did not know that the Walmart clan had a foundation and funded research. More surprisingly, the research includes poking into the bloated, punch drunk belly of smart software. I read “Walton-GSV-Gallup Survey Finds Young People Are Feeling Angrier about AI, Cautious about Integrating AI in the Classroom.” No, I did not read the write up on my mobile phone whilst seeking great values on canned bean soup at Walmart.
A Gen Z professional demonstrating keen customer awareness. Thanks, MidJourney. Good enough.
The article states:
A new Gallup survey released today (April 9, 2026) by the Walton Family Foundation and GSV Ventures shows that a generation once seen as AI’s early adopters is now sounding the alarm on its risks, particularly in the workplace.
This sentence contains some surprises. First, who or what is GSV Ventures? According to the never-biased Google, this outfit does not disclose where its money originates or how much is pumped into the female-led “venture” firm. A German outfit named Holtzbrinck Publishing Group seems to be an outfit writing checks. The hook for the “venture firm is pre-K to gray.” The idea is that education is a life-long concern.
The second surprise is the focus on Gen Z. I think that is the cohort who cannot get jobs. When a Gen Z person does get a job, that person does not exhibit Type A behavior, plays with a mobile phone, and cannot make change. Remember, please, that I am an old dinobaby and a Type A. I don’t play with my mobile phones. I can make change AND add a check in my dinobaby brain in real time.
What did the study from these Three Musketeers reveal?
Here’s the précis of the main finding. I quote:
While the majority of Gen Zers (51%) still use the technology weekly, growth has slowed to a crawl, increasing only four percentage points over the past year. This stagnation in adoption is accompanied by a sharp decline in positive sentiment. Excitement and hopefulness have dropped by 14 and nine percentage points, respectively, while 31% of Gen Z now report feeling outright anger toward the technology, up from 22% last year. Anxiety remains high, with slightly more than 4 in 10 young people continuing to report feeling uneasy about the technology’s trajectory.
The Gen Z crowd, according to the write up, “isn’t isn’t rejecting AI outright, but they are reassessing its role in their lives. What we’re seeing in the data is a generation that recognizes AI’s utility but is increasingly concerned about its long-term impact on learning, trust and career readiness," said Stephanie Marken, senior partner at Gallup. “Their growing skepticism signals a need for more thoughtful integration of these tools in both school settings and the workplace.”
Okay, now we have the road map for the use of AI for the Walton machine and, I suppose, for the German outfit. Use AI. Just don’t go whole hog like the BAIT (big AI tech) companies.
But do we need a survey to make clear that giving a child a laptop and access to smart software which is becoming ubiquitous does not produce an individual who can read, work in a high pressure environment, and make change to put money in the coffee honor system collection box?
I want to point out that the write up I referenced provides a few words about the Gallup poll people and about the giant Main Street killer branded “Sam’s Walmart Crushing Machine.” But there is not a peep about the HSV group. What’s the problem with explaining its educational interest, its sources of funding, and its leadership team?
Net net: I think that this is another example of common sense verification research. The question is, “Why?” Also, the lack of a firm statement about education’s search for a silver bullet is disconcerting. Learning can be fun, but it takes effort, not fancy dancing.
Stephen E Arnold, May 20, 2026
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