Gen Z Is Ready To Let AI Drive but Should We Trust a System That Can’t Even Fact-Check Itself?

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Would you let AI drive your car? One in five Gen Z drivers already would. After recent AI missteps, from hallucinated answers to recycled misinformation, some experts are asking a far more pressing question: If AI can’t reliably summarize a YouTube video, should we trust it with a 4,000-pound vehicle?

New survey data from Lightyear AI reveals that 20% of Gen Z drivers say they’re comfortable with an AI-controlled vehicle, more than double the number of Baby Boomers who feel the same. For a generation raised on Spotify algorithms and Snapchat filters, this comfort might seem natural. But comfort doesn’t equal capability.

And that’s where things get dicey.

A recent report by Media Decision chronicled how Google’s AI was found giving incorrect, even dangerous, advice, including making up fake complaints and citing nonexistent sources. Even more concerning: Jalopnik recently pointed out that Google’s AI models are now learning from other AI-generated content, including “slop” YouTube channels designed to game the algorithm.

That means AI mistakes are now spilling over into training itself, reinforcing the very errors it's supposed to correct.

If those models are being considered for future driver-assistance systems or informing decisions around autonomous navigation, the implications go well beyond poor search results. They become a matter of public safety.

Gen Z’s trust in AI is real and rising. According to the same Lightyear survey:

• 53% of Gen Z use AI tools daily, for everything from homework help to mental health support.
• 1 in 10 would trust AI to write their wedding vows.
• And increasingly, they’re willing to let it take the wheel.

There’s a growing culture of AI optimism, especially among younger drivers who see AI as an inevitable and even helpful co-pilot. Yet, the technology’s track record outside of driving is far from spotless.

• 81% of Americans fear AI’s broader societal impact, including job loss, misinformation, and environmental strain.
• 46% worry about AI destabilizing elections.
• Only 1 in 8 Americans feels confident in AI’s environmental sustainability.

Putting AI behind the wheel isn’t like asking it to draft a text message. In a driving environment, decisions must be made in milliseconds—often in unpredictable, high-stakes conditions where lives are on the line. Convenience doesn’t equal competence, especially when the margin for error is measured in feet and seconds.

While tech companies race to market the next AI-powered breakthrough in mobility, a growing number of experts are urging a more measured approach:

• 43% of Americans believe we should pause AI development to assess long-term consequences.
• 53% want new laws to regulate their environmental footprint.
• 70% fear AI will hurt employment, including in transportation.

If the future of driving is autonomous, then the integrity of AI inputs—and their origin—will matter just as much as the car’s torque or range.

There’s no doubt that AI is transforming how we interact with the world—from education and healthcare to how we order coffee. And for Gen Z, whose digital-native lives make them natural early adopters, AI-powered driving feels like a logical next step.

But in an industry where safety is a non-negotiable requirement, we must ask hard questions.

• Can we trust a system to drive our cars when we can’t trust it to deliver accurate search results?
• Should we be prioritizing AI convenience over mechanical accountability?
• Most urgently: Are we handing over the wheel before the technology knows where it’s going?