AI boom brings productivity gains and job risks

AI systems are now widely used to generate text and images, write code, support research and perform complex analysis. Supporters say the technology can make workers more productive and create new types of employment, with demand rising for machine-learning programming, chatbot development and professionals who can combine domain expertise with AI skills.

Almost one billion people use AI for a wide range of tasks, according to the 2026 International AI Safety Report published by the United Kingdom’s government. In September 2025, the Bank for International Settlements found generative AI had “productivity gains of between 10 and 65 percent, and efficiency gains of roughly 20 to 50 percent in time savings”. Wipro said AI freed up capacity equivalent to 20,000 employees, who were reassigned to other roles, and the company is training more than 100,000 employees in advanced AI skills.

Risks are growing alongside adoption. The 2026 International AI Safety Report warned that 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies and 40 percent in emerging economies could be vulnerable to AI, depending on how employers and workers use it. Amazon cut 16,000 jobs in a second wave of layoffs in three months, while Pinterest announced it would cut 780 jobs as it shifted resources toward AI.

Generative AI can also be misused to produce deepfakes, impersonate officials and executives, support scams and aid cyberattacks. Data centres needed for AI require large amounts of electricity and cooling, prompting concerns over power infrastructure, water use, noise and local opposition, including a March Gallup poll in which 71 percent of Americans opposed AI data centres in their areas.