Gen Z wants ChatGPT: The fight comms has to referee
Younger employees prefer a different chatbot than the approved company tool.
Stephanie Nivinskus is principal, Ragan’s Center for AI Strategy.
Brad, a Gen X executive, thinks the Copilot rollout is going well. Then he learns that Emma, a 24-year-old marketing coordinator, and several other Gen Z employees across the organization are using ChatGPT on their phones instead. Brad asks why, and they give him a two-word answer: “It’s better.”
The scene is not far-fetched. YouGov’s U.S. AI brand rankings found 44% of Gen Z AI users prefer ChatGPT, compared with just 4% who prefer Copilot. Microsoft’s latest earnings release counts more than 30 million paid Microsoft 365 Copilot seats. A SHRM survey found 30% of workers have knowingly broken their employer’s AI rules.
IT chooses the platform and HR handles training, but comms’ role is to get people to use what the company bought. How do you get them on board with Copilot?
Start with the people who signed off
Brief the executive sponsor first. Have your comms lead send the YouGov numbers to whoever owns the AI rollout before the next employee announcement. Give that leader one point to reinforce: “Our youngest employees did not choose Copilot, so we have to show them what it does better at work.” The briefing also keeps them from reading the first low usage report as defiance.
Segment by job and let age sort itself out. A 29-year-old coordinator who writes all day needs the same message as a 45-year-old manager doing similar work. Gallup found leaders use AI more frequently than individual contributors, undercutting the assumption that younger workers are automatically the most enthusiastic adopters. Draft one version for staff who produce content and another for reviewers who approve it.
Hand them a cheat sheet. Many younger employees already know ChatGPT. Give them a one-page guide showing where those habits transfer to Copilot and where the company version behaves differently. Open with: “If you use ChatGPT at home, much of what you know carries over. Here is what changes.” Pair the cheat sheet with Ragan’s Copilot training.
Give the rule a reason people can repeat. A policy with no explanation feels arbitrary. Put this line in every onboarding message: “We chose an enterprise AI tool that operates within our approved security and data-governance environment. Personal AI accounts fall outside those controls.” Have legal approve the wording once so managers are not improvising their own versions.
Put a peer in front of the room. Ask an early-career employee who already uses the licensed tool to demonstrate one real task from their week during the first month of the rollout. The point is to show employees why switching tools makes their work easier. This builds on advice on how to turn comms teams into AI builders: Brief the team before you scale.
Then go back to Emma.
If your launch messages only talk to the Brads in your organization, the Emmas will keep reaching for ChatGPT on their phones, and your company will keep paying for seats they never touch.
