Since the launch of ChatGPT, AI developers have warned that artificial intelligence could eliminate millions of jobs. California is now trying to determine whether those predictions are beginning to play out.
Developed by the California Employment Development Department and researchers at the California Policy Lab’s UCLA site, the dashboard will update monthly and track unemployment claims across occupations considered highly exposed to AI. State officials say the data will help identify where workers may need retraining, job-search assistance, health coverage guidance, or other support.
“AI is advancing quickly, and workers’ concerns about what that could mean for their jobs are real,” Professor of Economics at UCLA and Faculty Director of the California Policy Lab’s UCLA site, Till von Wachter, said in a statement. “This new tracker helps replace speculation with evidence, giving us a clearer understanding of what’s changing and how to best support affected workers.”
So far, California's data suggests the feared wave of AI layoffs has not arrived. Researchers found no evidence of rising statewide unemployment tied to AI, but they did identify higher unemployment claims among college-educated workers in occupations with high AI exposure after ChatGPT-3.5 launched in 2022, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area.
