Aspen paper: 22% of US firms use AI, urban-rural adoption gap is 33% vs 16%
robseamans · x · 2026-09-23
NYU professor Robert Seamans published "Skills Alignment for the AI Economy" for the Aspen Institute Economic Strategy Group, assessing AI's labor-market effects and proposing a US policy framework.
- Adoption: per August 2026 Census Bureau survey data, 22% of firms use AI and 26% expect to within six months.
- "Shadow AI": individual employees' generative AI use outpaces firm-level deployment, so real workplace integration exceeds official metrics.
- Divide: Microsoft telemetry shows 33% adoption in large metros vs 16% in rural counties.
- Assessment: no evidence yet of widespread AI-driven displacement; AI boosts individual productivity (especially for less experienced workers), but task-level gains haven't aggregated into employment or wage effects; entry-level software pipelines show disruption. Policy centers on aligning worker and firm skills.
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