• Workers, bosses, disagree on whether AI will create jobs A survey found AI’s impact on employment has so far been limited, but workers and bosses both expect that to change; the question is, how? • Senior executives see AI adoption leading to job cuts, while workers say it will increase employment, according to a new survey published by the US National Bureau of Economic Research. • Amid so much speculation about the impact of the new technology, NBER’s study is tantalizingly titled “Firm data on AI” - but the data, which comes from a survey of 6,000 firms in four countries, leads to few solid conclusions. • More than 80% of executives surveyed said AI had no impact on either employment or productivity over the past three years. • However, over the next three years, the situation will change: 3 years, forecasting AI will boost productivity by 1.4%, increase output by 0.8% and cut employment by 0.7%. • This last finding contrasts sharply with employees surveyed, who expect an increase in employment of 0.5% over the same period.
Article Summaries:
- A new NBER survey of 6,000 firms in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Australia shows a split view on AI’s labor impact. While 80 % of senior executives report no employment or productivity change in the past three years, they predict that AI will raise productivity by 1.4 %, output by 0.8 % and cut jobs by 0.7 % over the next three years. Employees, by contrast, expect a 0.5 % rise in employment. The study notes that 69 % of firms actively use AI-mainly for text generation-and 72 % of executives use it for about 1.5 hours weekly. Earlier research suggests AI may already be eroding entry‑level roles, supporting the executives’ outlook.
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