<![CDATA[The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and digital connectivity is fundamentally reshaping how knowledge is acquired, validated, and applied, particularly for Generation Z learners who have grown up as digital natives. This conceptual article examines how informal learning functions as a catalyst for building adaptive and resilient Generation Z learners amid AI-driven disruption. Through a systematic synthesis of literature on informal and self-directed learning theory, experiential and social learning theory, and recent scholarship on artificial intelligence in education, the article develops an integrative conceptual framework linking informal learning, AI-mediated learning ecosystems, and the development of resilience and adaptability. The synthesis indicates that informal learning increasingly functions as a continuum with formal education rather than a peripheral supplement, and that digital and AI-based environments expand opportunities for incidental, self-directed, and socially situated learning. However, digital fluency alone does not guarantee effective learning; resilience and adaptability emerge specifically through reflective engagement with authentic experience, social interaction, and problem-solving embedded in informal learning processes. The novelty of this article lies not in introducing a new construct, but in integrating informal learning, AI-mediated learning environments, and resilience-adaptability development into a single analytical framework tailored to Generation Z, offering a conceptual foundation for future empirical research and for higher education institutions designing learning environments that deliberately cultivate informal learning pathways alongside formal curricula.]]>
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