Artificial intelligence (AI) could eventually put around 15 million jobs at risk in the United States, raising fresh concerns about the future of employment.
According to investment banking giant Goldman Sachs, AI could displace nearly 9% of the American workforce. However, the biggest impact may not be felt immediately.
The bank warned that major technological changes have historically caused the most serious job losses during economic slowdowns and recessions.
Based on four decades of employment data, Goldman Sachs economists found that workers displaced by new technologies often struggle to find new jobs and face slower wage growth.
AI Workers Already Feeling the Heat
According to a report by Fortune, Goldman Sachs economist Pierfrancesco Mei found that workers who lost jobs in AI-exposed sectors since 2025 took around one month longer to find new employment compared to other laid-off workers.
They were also about 10 percentage points more likely to remain unemployed even one year after losing their jobs.
The findings suggest that AI-related job losses could have long-lasting effects on workers and their careers.
Older Workers Face Bigger Challenges
The impact appears to be more serious for older employees.
Workers aged 35 and above who lost jobs in AI-exposed occupations took approximately five weeks longer to secure full-time employment compared to other displaced workers.
For employees below 35, the difference was around three weeks.
Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics also highlights the difficulties faced by older workers.
Around 7.4 million American workers were displaced between 2023 and 2025, compared to 6.3 million in the previous survey period.
Among long-tenured workers who lost their jobs, 72.9% of those aged 25 to 54 had found employment again by January 2026.
However, the figure dropped to 57.3% among workers aged 55 to 64 and just 38.6% among those aged 65 and above.
AI Linked to Over 1.2 Lakh Job Cuts
Meanwhile, employers cited artificial intelligence as a reason for 120,136 announced job cuts through September 2026, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
This accounted for around 21% of all announced layoffs during the period.
However, these figures represent layoffs attributed to AI by employers and do not necessarily establish that AI was the sole cause.
Goldman Sachs also found that workers affected by earlier technological changes experienced slower wage growth even after adjusting for inflation.
Younger workers, college graduates and people living in urban areas generally recovered faster because they had more opportunities to shift to different jobs.
Young Employees Also Under Pressure
Interestingly, younger workers are not completely safe from AI disruption.
Research from Stanford University’s Digital Economy Lab found that employment among workers aged 22 to 25 in occupations most exposed to AI was around 19% below the level expected based on trends in less-exposed occupations.
This suggests that AI may also be affecting entry-level hiring, particularly in jobs involving tasks that can be automated.
However, Goldman Sachs cautioned that it is still too early to fully understand how AI will affect different age groups, educational backgrounds and locations.
Will AI Trigger a Major Jobs Crisis?
Goldman Sachs has not predicted that 15 million Americans will lose their jobs immediately. Its estimate represents the potential scale of workforce displacement over time.
The bigger concern is that a future recession could accelerate AI-driven job losses as companies look to reduce costs and automate more work.
For American employees, the challenge may not simply be losing a job to AI, but finding another suitable job and maintaining their previous income.
As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful, the US labour market could face a major transition, with millions of workers needing new skills to remain competitive.