Think about it. You’ve grown up with smartphones, social media, and YouTube tutorials. While your parents are still figuring out TikTok, you’re already creating content that reaches thousands of people.
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When the UN declared the 15th July as World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) in 2014 it was to “recognise the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship” and to address challenges youth face in terms of unemployment and underemployment.
As the world celebrates the 10th anniversary of WYSD this year, and with the theme of empowering youth through AI and digital skills, guess what? Youth have come a long way – from being underskilled etc, you’re longer just the users of tech, you’re reshaping it with AI.
Becuase you see, the Fourth Industrial Revolution isn’t some scary sci-fi movie. It’s happening right now, and honestly? You’re the main characters in this story.
Why Gen Z Is Built for the AI Era
If you don’t know already – your generation does not fear AI. In fact, you collaborate with it. Whether it’s creating art, solving mathematical challenges, or launching a side hustle, AI is your creative accelerator.
And whether you’re in a small town in Sarawak or a buzzing city like KL, AI literacy is becoming as important as knowing how to read and write.
And the best part? You’re already ahead of that knowledge curve.
The Real Digital Divide: Access & Opportunity
Let’s be real. Not everyone has the same access to tech. Some of your friends may have the latest MacBook, while others are sharing one laptop with three siblings. So our real concern should not be about AI replacing jobs, but about leaving those without AI knowledge and skills behind.
This is where universities like Swinburne Sarawak come in. We’re not just teaching code, we are showing how societies can use AI to improve rural healthcare, practise sustainable farming, and ensure education is inclusive.
And at Swinburne, it is more than just about digital skills. It’s about how you can make an impact.
Your Perspective Matters in Tech Innovation
At digital content conferences across Malaysia, the message is clear: young people offer fresh solutions to old problems. You’re not bound by “the way it’s always been done.”
When you learn machine learning, you think, “Can this help my friends with anxiety?” When you explore natural language processing, you wonder, “Could this help my grandma who only speaks Hokkien?” That’s innovation rooted in empathy, and that’s what makes your generation different.
But here’s a secret: the most powerful digital skill isn’t coding. It’s critical thinking.
In a world filled with deepfakes, misinformation, and algorithmic noise, your ability to question, verify, and think deeply is your real superpower. Knowing when, and when not to, use AI matters just as much as knowing how to use it.
Gen Z Entrepreneurs Are Already Changing the Game
Young founders – people of your age – are using AI to create mental health platforms, fight climate change, personalise education, and design inclusive tools. Your generation does not wait for permission. You’re building the future on your own terms.
At Swinburne, we caught on to this way back when. Our computing programs combine AI knowledge with real-world applications. Why? Because future health workers are learning predictive AI for patient care. Tomorrow’s farmers are leveraging machine learning for smarter agriculture. Even seasoned entrepreneurs are using AI to create scalable impact.
With Great Power Comes Digital Responsibility
However, as your influence grows, so does your responsibility. You’ll need to navigate ethical challenges such as data privacy, AI bias, misinformation, and make decisions that affect real lives. AI is not just a tool you’ll use, it’s a system you’ll shape. And you need the right frameworks to use it wisely.
Knowing how to work, and work with, AI is not about preparing you for the job market of the future. It is about recognizing that you’re already driving transformation, be it in the classroom, among your community, or with your peers.
On this World Youth Skills Day, let’s recognize your confidence in challenging the norm, your wisdom to use AI ethically, and your courage in innovating beyond limits.
What’s Next: Turning Skills Into Action
Whether it is AI-focused university programs, attending regional tech conferences, or just playing around with ChatGPT™, Gemini™, or even Co-Pilot™ while working on an MS Office doc, you are not too young to make an impact. The future isn’t something that happens to you. It’s something you create. And with AI and digital skills as part of your toolkit for the future, there’s no limit to what you can build.
So, why not secure your AI-future with Swinburne today?
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of World Youth Skills Day 2025 on 15 July, we highlight the need to empower youth with AI and digital skills for a more inclusive and sustainable future.