The White House has shed light on the extent of artificial intelligence exposure in the American workforce, indicating that about 10% of workers are in roles with significant exposure to AI and lower performance standards.

This revelation, part of the Biden administration‘s Economic Report of the President, underscores the potential vulnerability of certain occupations to displacement due to AI-powered automation.

The report, prepared by the Council of Economic Advisers, highlights that a total of 20% of American workers are in occupations with a high level of exposure to AI. Among them, approximately half—equivalent to 10% of the U.S. workforce—are not only highly exposed to AI but also face relatively low performance requirements, making them more susceptible to displacement by automation driven by AI.

Economists behind the report suggest that AI adoption may further exacerbate income inequality by substituting employment in lower-wage jobs while complementing higher-wage occupations.

ChatGPT is changing the way employees work.

Wages and employment

However, they caution that such interpretations should be made cautiously, considering the interplay of supply-and-demand forces in determining patterns of wages and employment.

Furthermore, the report underscores that while AI may reshape job roles, it may not necessarily lead to their complete elimination.

For instance, despite advancements in AI technology, certain roles like school bus drivers are likely to persist, albeit with changes in responsibilities. Similarly, autopilot systems in airplanes have automated some tasks but have not replaced the need for human pilots.

The analysis also revealed slight differences in AI exposure between men and women in the workforce, with women slightly more exposed to AI but also facing higher performance requirements on average.

Overall, the report said that while AI may bring about changes in job tasks, most jobs remain a combination of tasks, only some of which can be automated. Hence, AI-led automation is more likely to transform job roles rather than eliminate them entirely.