From infinite scroll to infinite worlds: How AI could rewire Gen Z's attention span

"Members of Gen Z have grown up hearing that our attention spans are shrinking and that our lives will be defined by the eight-second scroll and an endless stream of content. The narrative is that we're so addicted to the instant gratification of platforms like TikTok that we've lost the capacity for deep, sustained focus. But what if the next wave of artificial intelligence (AI) isn't designed to feed that addiction - but to fundamentally change it?"

"The implications of this technology are staggering - it means the ability to create and explore any world you can imagine, from a historical setting to a fantastical landscape. But what I find most fascinating is the potential impact of world models on Gen Z. We're digital natives, having grown up with smartphones and social media as constant companions. We've also been told we have the attention span of a goldfish."

Gen Z faces a narrative of shrinking attention spans driven by short-form platforms and instant gratification. World models are AI systems that can generate interactive, navigable 3D environments from simple prompts by learning rules of physics, object properties, and physical dynamics. Examples include Google DeepMind's Genie 3 and Fei-Fei Li's World Labs, which pursue spatial intelligence and Large World Models. These systems enable creation and exploration of historical or fantastical settings and require sustained engagement, curiosity, and creative input. World models therefore have the potential to shift engagement from passive scrolling to active, focused interaction.

Read at Big Think