This week, Meta announced it would be laying off hundreds of employees across its AI division—despite having aggressively expanded its AI workforce just months earlier. Yet, even as it trims staff, the company’s chief AI officer told *The Wall Street Journal* that Meta plans to keep hiring “AI native” talent—a phrase that’s quietly gaining traction in the corporate world.
The term might sound familiar. For years, “digital native” has described Gen Z—those who’ve never known life without the internet. Their successors, Generation Alpha (the oldest of whom are only about 15), are already being dubbed “Generation AI.” But Meta isn’t hiring teenagers. So what does “AI native” actually mean?
According to JR Keller, a professor of human resource studies at Cornell University’s ILR School, the label refers to professionals who seamlessly integrate AI into every aspect of their work—and often their personal lives. “It’s almost like they have an invisible AI companion with them at all times,” he says.
Unlike more senior colleagues who may adopt AI tools selectively—or reluctantly—younger workers often treat AI as a default. “For them, AI isn’t something you turn on when it’s useful,” Keller explains. “It’s always on.”
Venture capitalist Jeffrey Bussgang uses the term to describe individuals who are “wildly adept at using a wide range of modern AI tools,” making them significantly more productive. In his view, “AI-native companies” are built from teams that embed AI into every function, process, and role.
And it’s not just tech giants chasing this talent. Traditional companies struggling to implement AI effectively see hiring “AI natives” as a shortcut to transformation. Pew Research data from June shows that 58% of adults aged 18 to 29 have used ChatGPT—the highest rate of any age group—underscoring the generational divide in AI fluency.
Former Deloitte Consulting CEO Dan Helfrich calls the rise of the “AI native” employee “increasingly real,” noting that these workers—though often less experienced—are becoming essential to innovation.
As the term spreads, Keller predicts job seekers will start branding themselves accordingly. “People will begin adding ‘AI native’ to their LinkedIn profiles,” he says, “because they know it’ll help them surface in recruiter searches.”
In today’s evolving job market, being “AI native” isn’t about age—it’s about mindset. It’s the difference between using AI as a tool and living in an AI-augmented workflow. And for employers racing to stay competitive, that distinction is becoming invaluable.