Economists Now Fear AI's Looming Job Disruption

Economists who once dismissed AI's threat to the labor market are changing their tune. While most see little current evidence of disruption, they increasingly believe significant job market upheaval could arrive soon, driven by breakthroughs like reasoning models and autonomous AI agents. A new survey of economists found broad uncertainty about AI's scale and speed of impact, but growing consensus that policymakers are unprepared. Researchers warn that without proactive policy, workers displaced by AI could face the same neglect seen in past technological transitions.