NY Fed Study: Firms Use AI to Transform Jobs, Not Cut Them

On September 1, the New York Fed published new research on AI and jobs on its Liberty Street Economics blog, concluding that firms are using AI to transform how work is done rather than to cut positions.

Confirmed

• The study was published by the New York Fed and shared the same day by multiple researchers (@robseamans, @soumitrashukla9); Rob Seamans is the economist who summarized the survey findings
• Key findings: many firms have adopted AI but actual use remains fairly limited; worker retraining is common while mass layoffs are rare
• Firms are investing in their existing workforce and reshaping jobs themselves rather than replacing workers at scale
• @soumitrashukla9 noted that his institution, BGI, is studying how job content is changing within firms and occupations after AI, with several related papers forthcoming

Why it matters

• The study offers firm-survey-based empirical evidence for the debate over whether AI causes mass unemployment, pointing to a gradual transformation path
• Corporate retraining practices are relevant for labor policy and individual career planning
• Follow-up research from BGI and others may further reveal how task composition within specific occupations is changing

2026-09-01 ~ 2026-09-01 · 5 related posts

• NY Fed Study: AI Reshapes Work Without Mass Layoffs — robseamans · 2026-09-01
• NY Fed publishes research on AI and jobs — robseamans · 2026-09-01
• [source] NY Fed Study: AI Transforms Work, Doesn't Cut Jobs — robseamans · 2026-09-01
• [source] NYFed and BGI research on how AI transforms work and workforce — soumitrashukla9 · 2026-09-01

1 near-duplicate retellings: robseamans