By The Economist
Publication Date: 2026-05-18 19:00:00
The Economist
The launch of ChatGPT in 2022 sparked the artificial intelligence boom – and triggered a series of warnings from AI bosses about an impending job apocalypse. It doesn’t matter that they have reason to decry the disruptive impact of their products, or that employment in the rich world is at an all-time high – the grim message has gotten through. Seven in 10 Americans believe AI will make it harder for people to find work; almost a third fear for their own job. A lack of job openings for college graduates – particularly for computer programmers – is adding to the anxiety.
The past offers some comfort to the fearful. Labor markets are constantly changing. Today’s offices would be unrecognizable to a worker from 50 years ago. Never in modern history has technological progress affected the overall demand for human labor. Economic historians are now downplaying the extent of “Engels’…”
