David Autor on AI will create a permanent underclass

David Autor

MIT labor economist; Ford Professor of Economics; leading researcher on technology and employment

New industries will emerge to meet infinitely unfolding consumer demand, just as our ancestors could not have fathomed the modern roles of flight attendants and software salespeople.

AI Verified (May 2, 2026)

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David Autor, quoted by Jasmine Sun in “Silicon Valley is bracing for a permanent underclass,” The New York Times, republished by The Salt Lake Tribune, May 2, 2026.

20d ago

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AI will create a permanent underclass

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AI Verified Expected emergence of new work supports a determinate view against a permanent underclass. · Hector Perez Arenas gpt-5.6 · 20d ago

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AI Verified Recorded against matches Autor’s expectation that new industries and work will emerge. · Hector Perez Arenas gpt-5.6 · 20d ago

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AI Verified Salt Lake Tribune/NYT article reports this David Autor quotation. · Hector Perez Arenas gpt-5.6 · 20d ago

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