The deer in the headlights thing with the kids today is real. It's like the way they were raised - in that every move had to be "safe" and "right" - has short circuited the ability ot just leap at a problem, and tackle it.
I am the tech/maintenance/art director of a handful of small shops and work with the kids that are coming out of their first or second years of college (the "summer butterflies", I call them) and I am constantly telling them that in the workplace situation, to not be afraid or hesitate to act on something.
There's a lot of self doubt and not trusting their own gut instincts. (which often are correct) If the action isn't right, that is less an issue than letting the problem fester.
For me, it's about getting the kids to use their smarts - which they DO have - and in the framework of a situation where the answer isn't found with AI, they know more than they believe.
It's not just the pivot to AI, there's also some cultural/political hangover tied to "getting it wrong" that cripples their ability to move. Yes, I remember going through the SAME thing, with the lack of confidence in my late-teens and through my 20's, but the difference was, I did not hesitate to tackle a problem.
Screwed up plenty. Sorted the problems perfectly more often. The willingness to jump is what I always try to encourage.
I'd love to see these kids turn AI into the tool that they want it to be.