Workers and AI Impact How Do Past Forecasts Compare to the Present Reality
As firms increase investments in AI infrastructure, automation, and digital workflows, questions have emerged about how these changes may affect employment across industries. While not all recent workforce reductions can be directly attributed to AI, many have occurred alongside announcements of expanded AI investment, restructuring, or automation initiatives.
With the introduction and growing application of generative artificial intelligence, some work tasks that were previously predicted to be less affected by automation are now being successfully completed or assisted by AI systems. These developments raise an important question: How well do earlier forecasts of automation risk align with what has actually happened in the labor market?
On August 25 at 11:00 a.m. CT, join the Chicago Fed’s Economic Mobility Project for Workers and AI Impact: How Do Past Forecasts Compare to the Present Reality?, a virtual event during which Kristen Broady, director of the Economic Mobility Project, will present recent research examining how employment and wages changed from 2019 to 2024 across occupations with varying levels of automation risk and AI applicability.
The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with:
- Antwi Akom, Founding Director of the University of California San Francisco/San Francisco State University’s Social Innovation and Urban Opportunity Lab;
- Edward Colgate, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University; and
- Scott Ransom, Senior Director for the Industry and Innovation Ecosystem for the HAND ERC at Northwestern University.
The conversation will be moderated by Jim Lecinski, Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University.
