A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study shows that artificial intelligence is already able to replace 11.7% of the U.S. workforce, especially in finance, administration and professional services.
The affected labor market is worth $1.2 trillion, the study’s authors said, with AI adoption affecting people in more than technology jobs on the East and West coasts.
The research contrasts two sets of jobs:
- The tech-centric Surface Index covering 2.2% of the nation’s workforce, with a labor market worth $211 billion.
- The Iceberg Index, with jobs spread more evenly across the country.
AI, the study claims, will affect the Iceberg Index cognitive work in finance, administration, professional services, human resources, customer support and other industries. Around 17.7 million workers are employed in these jobs that could be automated, according to PC Gamer magazine.
Whereas the Surface Index labor market represents 1.9 million workers concentrated in California, Virginia and Washington, the states most affected by automation of Iceberg Index jobs would include South Dakota, Utah and Delaware. Automation of those jobs would also affect the workforce in industrial Michigan and Ohio, the authors said.
