Will AI put us all out of work? It’s finally time we start figuring it out

Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claim artificial intelligence is about to erase “hundreds of millions of jobs,” and plenty of normal Americans are anxious, too: Sounds like something somebody not playing partisan politics should be looking into.

The AOC-Bernie line is obvious hype: For example, a Tufts University study projects far fewer US jobs “at risk” over the next two to five years (though 9.3 million jobs isn’t nothing), and a Strada survey of companies that use AI found nearly three times as many are boosting junior-level hiring as reducing it — the exact opposite of what you’d expect if doomsday were coming.

On the other hand, it’s early yet: Longer term, nothing’s obvious about AI’s impact on the job market, especially for the young — let alone what to do about it.

With the stakes so high, the White House needs to launch a special commission to start figuring it all out.

Young people are being terrified by legitimate concerns, and by politicians seeking to capitalize on the fears; a trustworthy report could well reassure them. 

But the commission needs to be totally outside government: After all, politicians (look at Sanders and AOC) are sure to weaponize the issue, and President Donald Trump’s critics will dismiss any findings or recommendations from his staffers.

Nor should businesses with AI-related agendas serve, since their interests are so clearly at stake.

Rather, the commission should be independent, staffed with impartial economists, tech experts and policy wonks who can offer an honest assessment of what AI will do to America’s job market in coming years, what that means for young workers in particular and what government should do in response.

Honest, too, about the uncertainties of any particular prediction.

No doubt, as companies incorporate AI’s increasingly broad and powerful tools into operations, many job descriptions will change.

But early signs are that this leads to more, not less, hiring.

McKinsey, which recruits from top colleges, notes that its entry-level hiring is up this year and likely to rise again next year, The Wall Street Journal reports, though the type of work is shifting.

Ditto for IBM, which is tripling entry-level hiring, jobs that include “fewer rote tasks and more work with customers and problem-solving,” human-resources officer Nickle LaMoreaux explains.

Overall, the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2026 Spring Update found companies plan to boost “college graduate hiring” this year by 5.6%; firms “with more than 5,000 employees are increasing their hiring by 8.7%.”

Corporate use of AI, of course, is evolving, and some jobs will disappear.

But to capitalize on the tech’s full potential, companies will need to hire young new staffers to work with it, filling in the gaps that require human involvement.

Every new technology ever, from the steam engine to the assembly line to computers and the internet, has prompted major changes in the workplace, but never mass unemployment.

Not fewer jobs — just different jobs.

And AI’s benefits in the workplace promise to be enormous, meaning more wealth for all of society.

Sure, we should try for a transition as smooth and painless as possible while we milk those benefits.

Getting a trustworthy review done quickly should make it easier to come to agreement on other AI issues, from safeguarding privacy to protecting children.

China won’t slow down its AI rollouts; America can’t let our fears give Beijing an edge in commercial or military operations.  

It’s time for a national conversation about America’s future with AI.

President Donald Trump needs to get the ball rolling.