This Weekly Update: Understanding AI's Impact on Workers

Companies Planning Ahead for AI Changes

New research reveals important information about why companies are laying off workers. According to a Harvard Business Review investigation, companies are letting workers go because they expect AI to be important in the future, not because AI is already doing those jobs. Leaders at major companies including Ford, Amazon, Salesforce, and JP Morgan Chase have announced that many white-collar jobs—the kind of jobs office workers do—will probably disappear at their companies soon. While the United States still has relatively low unemployment numbers overall, there is real concern that these layoffs will increase, particularly in the technology industry and in jobs for newer workers. Customer service and programming jobs have already seen some reductions in hiring.

Who Can Adapt and Who Cannot

Researchers from the Brookings Institution analyzed which workers will have the easiest time finding new jobs if AI replaces their current positions. The good news is that about 26.5 million out of 37.1 million workers exposed to AI—roughly 70%—have good potential to transition to other work. These workers typically have better savings, more diverse skills, a wider professional network, and are located in areas with more job opportunities. Software developers, financial managers, lawyers, and similar professionals fall into this category.

However, the situation is much more challenging for others. Approximately 6.1 million workers, primarily in clerical and administrative roles, face significant difficulties if their jobs change because of AI. These workers often have limited savings, fewer skills that transfer to different jobs, and limited options for finding work in their local areas. The research found that these vulnerable workers are concentrated in particular places, including college towns, state capitals, and smaller metropolitan areas, particularly in the Midwest and Mountain West regions of the United States.

Productivity Is Rising, But Communication Is Falling Behind

An important new report called the Workforce Trends Report 2026 shows that AI is already helping workers become more productive. Nearly 39% of employees across North America, Europe, and Asia reported that AI tools helped them accomplish more work in the past year. Organizations have responded by changing how they train employees, moving more people toward jobs that require strategic thinking and decision-making, and creating new roles focused on managing AI systems.

Despite these productivity gains, a serious problem exists: workers do not understand how AI affects their jobs. The research found that only 34% of employees said their companies clearly explained how AI will impact their roles and required skills. Nearly one-quarter of workers ranked getting clarity about AI's effects on their jobs as one of the top changes they wanted in 2026. This gap between AI adoption and clear communication is creating uncertainty and concern. One in five workers has also encountered mistakes, wrong information, or misleading answers from AI tools, requiring manual correction and slowing down projects.

The Challenge for Women Workers

Research from the Brookings Institution and the Centre for the Governance of AI raises important concerns about gender differences. Of the 6 million workers most likely to struggle with AI-related job changes, about 86% are women. Most of these women work in clerical and administrative positions, jobs that have historically been performed by women. These occupations have been under pressure from technology for a long time. However, researchers emphasize that this vulnerability reflects the type of work these women perform, not their abilities or intelligence. To help these workers, policymakers suggest offering more generous unemployment insurance, longer-lasting benefits, career coaching, and education programs tailored to individual needs.

Young Workers Have Mixed Feelings About AI

A survey led by researchers at the Wharton School examined how young adults aged 18-28 feel about artificial intelligence in the workplace. The findings reveal contradictory attitudes: 79% of young adults believed that using AI makes people lazier, and 62% worried that AI makes people less intelligent. Yet despite these concerns, these young workers are using AI at higher and higher rates. 74% of survey respondents reported using an AI tool like a chatbot at least once in the past month, which is a significant increase from earlier surveys. Surprisingly, one in six young workers admitted to using AI at work even when their employers specifically told them not to.

Researchers believe this contradiction happens because young people need to work efficiently and compete with their peers, which outweighs their concerns about long-term effects. Additionally, many people believe they are better than average at using AI, even though most people share this same belief—which is statistically impossible. Experts suggest that as young workers use AI more frequently, their anxiety about it may decrease over time. However, some experts worry that if AI does the easier parts of jobs, newer workers may not develop the critical thinking skills they need for advancement to higher-level positions later in their careers.