Finance & economics | Reasons to be cheerful

What will artificial intelligence mean for your pay?

A dispatch from industries on the front line of economic transformation

A robot handing a folder to a businessman seated comfortably in an office chair, engaged in a phone conversation.
Illustration: Mark Long

Around a decade ago Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne, two economists, published a paper that went viral. It argued that 47% of American jobs were at risk of automation. A deluge of research followed, which suggested the poorest and least-educated workers were most vulnerable to the coming revolution. Such fears have intensified as artificial-intelligence (ai) capabilities have leapt ahead. On November 2nd, speaking after Britain’s ai summit, Elon Musk predicted: “There will come a point where no job is needed.”

Explore more

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “What does AI mean for your pay?”

From the November 18th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Finance & economics

The stars of the European Union flag falling down to the bottom of the flag.

Europe could be torn apart by new divisions

The continent is at its most vulnerable in decades

A bond flying away tied to a red balloon, in the spotlight.

How corporate bonds fell out of fashion

The market is at its hottest in years—and a shadow of its former self



China’s markets take a fresh beating

Authorities have responded by bossing around investors

Can America’s economy cope with mass deportations?

Production slowdowns, more imports and pricier housing could follow

Would an artificial-intelligence bubble be so bad?

A new book by Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber argues there are advantages to financial mania