Wayne Elsey is the founder of the Funds2Orgs, Sneakers4Good and TreeRaise social enterprises in the reuse economy.
Many companies seem to be betting on young talent that is AI-fluent, as so-called thought leaders tell everyone to use AI for everything. But here’s the thing: Human judgment can’t be automated. And during the decades I’ve spent as a business leader and entrepreneur, one of the recipes for my success has been to pair young and mature workers. It’s not just me doing this, though. Others are doing it too, and there are very real reasons why they’re building these bridges.
The Skills Gap AI Just Accelerated
PwC analyzed more than a billion online job postings in more than two dozen countries. The findings were synthesized into the 2026 AI Jobs Barometer, which is worth a read. What PwC found is that AI and its use are splitting the labor market into two tracks. One is “professionalized” jobs where automation is becoming an integrated part of the job, but human judgment and experience matter for critical decision making.
The other track is “democratized” roles where AI is making the job easier for less experienced people to do. Based on PwC’s analysis, the professionalized jobs are growing two times faster than the democratized ones. Further, wage growth for those jobs has grown 42% faster since 2021 than for democratized roles.
This shift is concerning, because it means that young professionals could be getting pushed to make critical judgments they simply aren’t prepared or experienced to handle.
Different Generations Have Different Strengths
While younger workers are often valued when it comes to technology talent, it’s essential to realize that more mature workers are also an asset, even in an AI-driven world. Those with experience will always have knowledge that needs to be transferred.
Younger Workers: The Fluency Edge
It’s not surprising that Gen Z, for instance, knows how to move fast with digital and AI tools. I can see it in my own business, where they use AI tools more than their more mature colleagues. In fact, many will first ask Claude or ChatGPT something before they’ll ask their manager, so their instinct is a skill, but it’s incomplete.
Mature Workers: The Judgment Edge
Judgment and critical decision making, especially during very disruptive and uncertain times, come with time and experience. In other words, those who have suffered losses (typically more mature workers), pivoted and figured things out—with wisdom and patience—are critical for business in an uncertain and dynamic environment.
Pairing Beats Either Alone
Pairing younger workers with AI fluency alongside the mature workers who have had losses and figured things out anyway is the path to mastering AI and achieving ROI.
Structure Is What Makes It Work
While I believe in pairing and mixing generations for maximum productivity and profitability, just doing so for the sake of doing it doesn’t necessarily produce the outcomes leaders desire. What is essential is designing how they work together, which is the base of your secret recipe.
So, how can you do it? In my team, we’ve done it in the following ways:
• A Culture Of Learning: Our team culture is one where it’s okay to say that you don’t know how to do something. That makes such a difference. We prioritize learning, and there’s no shame in it.
• Multi-Directional Learning: Everyone brings expertise to the table, and we don’t pay attention to generational stereotypes. I’m a big fan of reverse mentoring whereby training happens not by seniority, but based on expertise.
• Humble Leadership: Our team knows it’s okay for managers—including me—to say they don’t know something.
• Deliberate Design: Mixing generations is never the thrust of any meeting. It just is. Our meetings are about innovation, learning, critical thinking and challenging assumptions. It doesn’t matter who speaks up. We just need the best thinking.
What This Looked Like for Us
When Google changed the rules of search, it was easy to assume that younger workers would know the answers. To a degree, it was true. Our marketing strategists turned out to be younger because they were the ones who understood the tools fastest.
However, we brought everyone together, including mature workers who’ve spent years and decades in marketing, and allowed them to voice concerns about how we would ensure continued trust with our partners. They also understand that you have to question assumptions, including AI, based on the experience that not everything is always what it seems.
The Real Advantage
AI doesn’t care who’s working and directing it. For AI, it’s not about generational politics, and it shouldn’t be the case for leaders either. We need expertise and fluency in AI tools. Still, we also need people who share their ideas, expertise and experiences, whether it was from last year or 20 years ago, if it is relevant to the business today and the challenge at hand.
If you want to get the most out of AI, then you have to bring cross-generational teams together and create the space that allows them to bring their strengths to working together for success.
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