AI Keeps Refusing to Kill Jobs: Engineers and Radiologists at Record Highs, Says Noah Smith
Noahpinion · x · 2026-09-08
Noah Smith argues that while Silicon Valley and the public widely believe AI displaces workers — Pew shows this worry has grown in recent years — the labor data says otherwise: software engineers and radiologists are at record employment levels, and the number of translators hasn't even declined.
"AI replaces humans" is treated as an article of faith, echoed even by AI companies' own marketing. In aggregate, the labor market remains about as healthy as ever, with prime-age employment strong — AI has yet to produce the mass substitution many expect.
Related event: Economist Noah Smith Pushes Back on AI Job Displacement Narrative(2 posts)→
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