Economists Now Fear AI's Looming Job Disruption

Economists who once dismissed AI's threat to jobs are changing their tune. While most see little current evidence of AI disrupting the labor market, they increasingly believe significant disruption is coming and warn that policymakers are unprepared to respond. A new survey of economists found most expect moderate AI-driven growth, but acknowledge a plausible scenario of rapid change bringing greater inequality and millions of lost jobs. Concerns center on entry-level white-collar workers, with some researchers noting AI tools like Claude Code can already replicate tasks once performed by junior employees.