AI-driven labor displacement risks to remain low in near term, Bridgewater says


A message reading "AI artificial intelligence," a keyboard and robot hands are seen in this illustration created on January 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

June 1 (Reuters) - Risks ⁠of widespread job losses from AI ⁠are expected to remain limited this year, ‌according to Bridgewater Associates, with constraints on computing capacity and a resilient economy blunting the technology's near-term impact ​on employment.

Here are more details ⁠from the research ⁠report:

• Adoption remains limited, with fewer than 20% ⁠of ‌U.S. firms reporting AI use in any business function over a ⁠two-week period, concentrated largely in information, technology ​and professional ‌services, Bridgewater said citing Census Bureau data.

• ⁠Over 90% ​of AI-using firms reported no employment effect over the past six months, and among those ⁠where it did influence staffing, ​more reported headcount increases than decreases, the report said.

• Bridgewater flagged two near-term risks to ⁠that outlook: an escalation of the Iran conflict and cost pressures stemming from companies' AI capital investments.

• Even if labor disruption stays ​muted, Bridgewater warns that the ⁠lack of AI-driven economic cooling may complicate ​the Federal Reserve's efforts to ‌manage inflationary pressures in ​a tight labor market.

(Reporting by Ragini Mathur in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)

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