Tracking new research on artificial intelligence and its impact on the U.S. labor market

Tracking new research on artificial intelligence and its impact on the U.S. labor market

Headlines often paint extreme and dissonant pictures of the future impact of AI on the U.S. economy and labor market, with workers themselves echoing the conflicting feelings of optimism and dread expressed by industry leaders.

Academic researchers have hypothesized several ways the emerging technology could influence the labor market, including findings from researchers at the University of Maryland who document that firms investing in AI technology hire more junior workers while reducing middle-management and senior roles. In contrast, researchers at the University of Navarra find that as firms’ exposure to generative AI rose, the share of junior positions shrank, and mid-level positions increased. Collectively, the research largely anticipates changes that could well be equally capable of helping or harming the economy.

Many pressing questions pertaining to AI and the labor market do not have answers yet as the long-term effects of technology shocks can take decades to measure, making accurate data collection over time even more important. These questions can largely be broken down into three broad groups:

While we cannot yet answer these questions conclusively, Equitable Growth’s database of research on AI and work, workers, and the labor market helps users track new developments in this complex, fast-moving field. Updated quarterly, it collects and summarizes the latest research, provides context to help critically evaluate the findings, and allows users to filter and search by sector, type of study, type of data, and level of study, as well as by keyword.

As the field develops, this database will serve as a knowledge hub, helping make sense of a rapidly changing environment. Explore more here.

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