How Brands Can Gain Key Insights From Gen Z's Passion for AI Mentorship 

The algorithm doesn't judge. It reflects. And for young people, reflection is everything. 

For a while now, my feed has been nudging me toward coach ChatGPT:

“Ask it about your limiting beliefs.”
“See what archetype it thinks you represent.”
‘Use it to uncover the masks you wear.”

I even signed up for a workshop promising to unlock my inner blockages “with the unexpected and loving guidance of AI,” because it sounded like a soul-searching, spiritual retreat.  

Sure, it’s crazy. But it also makes sense in a strange way. 

We’ve been spilling our guts to AI in the safety of our screens for more than two years now, sharing raw, unfiltered truths with an algorithm trained to learn from our inputs. ChatGPT has gotten to know us better than any coach, life advisor or therapist ever will. It knows us even better than we know ourselves.  

When Sam Altman pointed out at the Sequoia Capital AI Ascent event how Gen Z was using ChatGPT differently, almost like a mentor, it struck me. It’s not about Gen Z’s digital fluency. It’s about something deeper. AI doesn’t judge. It reflects. And for Gen Z, reflection is everything. 

It’s mentorship on their terms: non-hierarchical, always on, deeply personal—and still a little magical. 

Gen Z’s love for AI is all about feeling seen. 

What should brands take away from this? 

Thinking about this, I realized how much marketers can learn from Gen Z’s conversations with AI.  

Many brands still behave like mentors of the past, full of authority and answers, offering confidence without earning trust.  

But Gen Z is not looking for expertise; they want resonance. They’re looking for brands that reflect them back to themselves. Not because they’re lost. It’s because they know exactly what they’re looking for: something that gets them.  

Brands can create better relationships when they feel more like mentors than marketers. When they don’t dictate.

And when they evolve from brand utility (“Solve my need!”) and brand affinity (“Make me care about you!”) to brand intimacy (“Help me know myself”), offering not just value, but a space to process, muse and rehearse, in your own voice, at your own pace.

In a world where young people are asking ChatGPT about breakups, burnout and birth charts, brands that are continuously pushing an agenda won’t win. 

Instead, brands that show up like modern mentors —those who see you and let the best, weirdest, and most unfinished parts of you bloom—will. 

So, what’s next? Here are three ways brands can help Gen Z see themselves more clearly:

Build reflective experiences

In this AI era, Gen Z doesn’t just consume content; they process with it. This means, as brands, we must go beyond campaigns and build experiences where we behave as collaborators, moving from branded content to co-authored self-reflection. We can offer tools that give the time and space to help them figure out who they already are.

Think mood-to-music generators like DJ X from Spotify: An AI-powered, hyper-personalized audio guide that, in Spotify’s words, “feels like having a personal musical friend who just gets you.” And wow, does it get you! It’s like hearing yourself through music.

Use language that listens

For years, brands have refined their voice. Now it’s time to define their ears. Because listening doesn’t have to be passive, and how you listen shapes how people feel. Do you listen in a way that makes people feel seen? Safe? Hyped up? Supported? Left alone but not left out? 

Listening is not only about what you pick up, but about how you engage. You can be soft and validating, or active and energizing. Expanding the brand voice with brand ears can make people feel like they’re being heard.

Think responsive interactions, like Balance, a meditation app that adapts in real time. It asks how you’re feeling and shifts tone based on what you need: calm, focus, confidence or rest. Because the experience can’t be the same for someone who’s anxious than for someone who just wants to concentrate.

Shift from CTA to CYA (“Create Your Adventure”)

Calls to action are meant to close the loop. But creating your own adventure is an invitation to explore the world instead. So, this one is all about moving from the transaction into the playground. Ditching the hard sell. Inviting play. Letting your brand become part of a journey, not a destination. Be ready to make room for ambiguity, curiosity, and the in-between. And to acknowledge that, maybe, you’re not so sure about what comes next, because you’re not dictating it all anymore.

Think AI-powered co-creation, like Nike’s .SWOOSH, where you customize gear while AI learns your style and suggests fresh creative directions, all within a gamified platform that invites exploration and self-expression.

The reward for this evolution is nothing less than Gen Z’s authentic gratitude for sitting beside them and giving them room to become.

Just like ChatGPT is doing. But with a little more soul.