Resources

What Work Does Generative AI Do? (opens in a new tab)

Essays SEP 8, 2026

Since August 2024, our Real-Time Population Survey (RPS), a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults ages 18 to 64, has tracked how many Americans use generative artificial intelligence (AI). The adoption…

By: Alexander Bick (opens in a new tab), Adam Blandin (opens in a new tab), David Deming (opens in a new tab), Tyler Schumacher (opens in a new tab)

What Work Does Generative AI Do? (opens in a new tab)

Working Papers SEP 8, 2026

We measure how workers use genAI for their jobs in a nationally representative survey linking genAI adoption to detailed occupations and tasks. Our data provide the first task-level genAI adoption…

By: Alexander Bick (opens in a new tab), Adam Blandin (opens in a new tab), David Deming (opens in a new tab), Tyler Schumacher (opens in a new tab)

What happens to U.S. workers without access to Unemployment Insurance amid economic downturns or disruptions related to AI? (opens in a new tab)

Essays SEP 2, 2026

The adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace has led to predictions of U.S. labor market disruptions. In response, policymakers have increased attention on the fitness of the nation’s social…

By: Megan Rivera (opens in a new tab)

What can federal data collection tell policymakers and researchers about artificial intelligence in the U.S. labor market? (opens in a new tab)

Issue Briefs AUG 24, 2026

It is impossible to perfectly predict how artificial intelligence will affect the U.S. labor market. Policymakers and researchers are grappling with important questions around this topic, including what new opportunities…

By: Mary Beech (opens in a new tab)

Terms and conditions for generative AI users outline a new legal framework that puts U.S. consumers at risk (opens in a new tab)

Essays AUG 20, 2026

Generative AI, or genAI, is a form of artificial intelligence that produces content in response to prompts and includes large language model chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude.…

By: Chiara Chanoi (opens in a new tab)

The Terms and Conditions of Generative AI (opens in a new tab)

Working Papers AUG 20, 2026

Generative AI raises pressing questions for myriad doctrinal areas. Policymakers and scholars have responded rapidly, devoting substantial attention to these difficult legal and policy questions. But, as a practical matter,…

By: John M. Newman, Andres Sawicki (opens in a new tab)

Estimating AI exposure is useful for research but cannot yet tell policymakers the whole story of AI’s impact on the labor market (opens in a new tab)

Essays AUG 7, 2026

Artificial intelligence has the potential to substantially change the nature and availability of work. To effectively manage the transitions this technology might bring to the U.S. economy, policymakers need information…

By: Chiara Chanoi (opens in a new tab)

Tracking new research on artificial intelligence and its impact on the U.S. labor market (opens in a new tab)

Essays AUG 5, 2026

Headlines often paint extreme and dissonant pictures of the future impact of AI on the U.S. economy and labor market, with workers themselves echoing the conflicting feelings of optimism and…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

Why Unemployment Insurance Alone Is Not Enough in the AI Era (opens in a new tab)

Essays JUL 8, 2026

Since the large language model ChatGPT was rolled out in November 2022, artificial intelligence has captured the public’s attention and generated myriad debates over the emerging technology’s potential impacts on…

By: Megan Rivera (opens in a new tab)

Personal Income in the United States nudges up in May but is down 0.76 percent in the past 6 months (opens in a new tab)

Essays JUN 25, 2026

According to today’s release of Personal Income estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. household incomes have fallen 0.76 percent in the past 6 months, with month-to-month declines…

By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)

Transfer income has fallen faster than other components of U.S. income over the past 3 months (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2026

Income declines over the past 3 months and the past 6 months are higher for low-income U.S. households (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2026

Personal Income is now declining year-over-year, a possible warning sign for the economy (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2026

The United States can simultaneously foster an equitable AI boom and a clean energy economy (opens in a new tab)

Videos JUN 12, 2026

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth recently hosted a timely discussion exploring how the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is colliding with—and reshaping—the clean energy transition. Bringing together researchers and…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

In Conversation with Costa Samaras (opens in a new tab)

In Conversation JUN 2, 2026

Equitable Growth in Conversation is a recurring series where we talk with economists and other academics to help us better understand whether and how economic inequality affects economic growth and…

By: Shayna Strom (opens in a new tab)

Navigating the research on the impacts of AI on work, workers, and the labor market (opens in a new tab)

Research Databases MAY 21, 2026

Artificial intelligence will have a largely unpredictable but potentially profound effect on the labor market. Individuals have speculated how AI will affect the workforce since its earliest developments. But public…

By: Chiara Chanoi (opens in a new tab)

What is the relationship between inflation, interest rates, and economic growth, and what does it mean for the new Federal Reserve chair? (opens in a new tab)

Issue Briefs MAY 18, 2026

Since regaining the Oval Office in early 2025, President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for lower interest rates and severely criticized former Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell’s cautious approach…

By: Jacob Robbins (opens in a new tab)

Research shows unions dampen support for right-wing populism and help workers navigate technological transitions (opens in a new tab)

Essays MAY 1, 2026

On May 1, much of the world—though not the United States—celebrates International Workers Day to honor the social and economic contributions of workers and labor unions. The May Day holiday began in large part to mark…

By: Christopher Bangert-Drowns (opens in a new tab)

Certain AMS contract provisions give workers a sense of influence over how technology is used in their workplaces (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

How union contracts are protecting U.S. workers from automated management and surveillance in the workplace (opens in a new tab)

Reports MAR 12, 2026

Employers are increasingly using electronic and automated tools to collect data on their workers on and off the job and then using that data to inform decisions about workers’ pay,…

By: Alexander Hertel-Fernandez (opens in a new tab)

Certain AMS contract provisions give workers a better understanding of how technology is used in their workplaces (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

Union members who know more about automated management and surveillance in their workplace also report more input over how it is used (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

Slightly more workers agree than disagree that they have input over AMS tools used in their workplaces (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

Most unionized workers know how automated management and surveillance are utilized in their workplaces (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

Certain groups of unionized workers are more likely to have a contract with automated management and surveillance provisions (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

Certain contract negotiation strategies are correlated having automated management and surveillance provisions included (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

Lessons from past trade adjustment policies to support displaced workers in the era of artificial intelligence (opens in a new tab)

Reports MAR 11, 2026

More than 60 years ago, U.S. policymakers, economists, and labor leaders alike agreed that the potential for new economic forces to strengthen U.S. prosperity and security was just over the…

By: Jacob Leibenluft (opens in a new tab)

Factsheet: Using asset limits in public benefit programs (opens in a new tab)

Factsheets MAR 10, 2026

A household’s assets, or its overall wealth, are the resources required to ensure its family members can weather the financial disruption when unexpected expenses emerge. Yet many U.S. households do…

By: Megan Rivera (opens in a new tab)

ASSA 2026 Round-up: Day 3 (opens in a new tab)

Blog JAN 6, 2026

Yesterday was the third and final day of the 2026 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

ASSA 2026 Round-up: Day 2 (opens in a new tab)

Blog JAN 5, 2026

Yesterday was the second day of the 2026 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held in Philadelphia…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

ASSA 2026 Round-up: Day 1 (opens in a new tab)

Blog JAN 4, 2026

Yesterday was the first day of the 2026 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held in Philadelphia…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

What impact is artificial intelligence having on the U.S. labor market and the nation’s economy? (opens in a new tab)

Essays NOV 14, 2025

As new and groundbreaking technologies emerge, they can function as a blank canvas onto which people project both aspirations and anxieties. Artificial intelligence—despite its quick uptake in broader society and…

By: Megan Rivera (opens in a new tab)

Workplace exposure to artificial intelligence is higher among U.S. workers with higher wages, depending on how AI is used (opens in a new tab)

Essays OCT 23, 2025

Recent advances using artificial intelligence in workplaces, particularly large language models such as Claude.ai and ChatGPT, are increasingly disrupting the U.S. labor market. The cognitive power of AI has the…

By: Chiara Chanoi (opens in a new tab), Christopher Bangert-Drowns (opens in a new tab)

AI exposure by U.S. occupations and work tasks and the effect on wages (opens in a new tab)

Working Papers OCT 23, 2025

This analysis of labor market AI exposure builds on previous work from the Pew Research Center and the AI firm Anthropic as well as Equitable Growth’s own job quality series,…

By: Chiara Chanoi (opens in a new tab), Chris Bangert-Drowns

AI exposure is greatest among higher-paid workers regardless of age, race and education status (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations OCT 22, 2025

Asian American and highly educated workers are most exposed to AI (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations OCT 22, 2025

Equitable Growth supports scholars studying the economics of the energy transition (opens in a new tab)

Essays OCT 22, 2025

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth today announced a new cohort of grantees. These nine scholars will study how the design and implementation of federal policy influences how businesses and…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

Equitable Growth announces funding for research on the impact of AI on U.S. workers and competition (opens in a new tab)

Essays SEP 18, 2025

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth today announced a new cohort of grantees studying how artificial intelligence and new technology can support workers and promote competition across the U.S. economy.…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

How artificial intelligence uncouples hard work from fair wages through ‘surveillance pay’ practices—and how to fix it (opens in a new tab)

Issue Briefs AUG 21, 2025

Correction: Freddie Mac and Udemy contacted the Washington Center for Equitable Growth on March 18, 2026 and April 2, 2026, respectively, to say they no longer had business relationships with…

By: Veena Dubal (opens in a new tab), Wilneida Negrón (opens in a new tab)

Adoption of generative AI will have different effects across jobs in the U.S. logistics workforce (opens in a new tab)

Essays JUL 10, 2025

Generative artificial intelligence promises to profoundly reshape labor markets, much like previous automation waves did, but with clear differences. Unlike earlier technologies, such as computerization, which primarily automated routine administrative…

By: Christophe Combemale (opens in a new tab), Dustin Ferrone (opens in a new tab), Andrew Barber (opens in a new tab), Laurence Ales (opens in a new tab)

Dispatchers and related fields are highly exposed to automation and AI (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 10, 2025

U.S. dispatchers earn around the same wage as other, similar occupations (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 10, 2025

Workers in customer service and related fields are highly exposed to automation and AI (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 10, 2025

U.S. customer service workers earn around the same wage as other, similar occupations (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 10, 2025

More frequent tasks tend to be more important, but many exceptions exist (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 9, 2025

Slow wage growth is the key to understanding U.S. inequality in the 21st century (opens in a new tab)

Issue Briefs JUL 8, 2025

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth today launched the U.S. Inequality Tracker, which tracks income and wealth inequality in the United States and highlights how particular components of income and…

By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)

Wages have grown much slower in the 21st century than in previous eras of the U.S. economy (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2025

Wages have grown relatively similarly across income deciles, while business and asset income is strongly skewed to the wealthiest households (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2025

Wages are the slowest-growing component of U.S. income for households across the income distribution (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2025

Wages and government transfers are the primary source of income for most U.S. households (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2025

The upper-middle class has lost income share, while low-income and extremely wealthy households have grown their share of income (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2025

U.S. inequality has decreased slightly since 2000, with the upper-middle class seeing the weakest gains (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2025

U.S. income inequality dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic before returning to pre-pandemic levels by 2023 (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2025

The political implications of bad jobs and the decline of unions (opens in a new tab)

Blog MAY 13, 2025

Bad jobs have become a distinctive feature of the U.S. economy over the past few decades. Globally, a lack of adequate demand, or what economists call “secular stagnation,” has meant…

By: Adam Dean (opens in a new tab), Jamie McCallum (opens in a new tab)

Request for Proposals: The economic effects of the Inflation Reduction Act (opens in a new tab)

RFPs APR 2, 2025

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

Analogies for AI policymaking (opens in a new tab)

Blog MAR 27, 2025

As a suite of technologies under the label of artificial intelligence increasingly take center stage, policymakers recognize the need to develop deep technical expertise about the deployment of evolving technologies…

By: Sorelle Friedler (opens in a new tab), Marc Aidinoff (opens in a new tab)

Tackling AI, taxation, and the fair distribution of AI’s benefits (opens in a new tab)

Blog MAR 5, 2025

Artificial intelligence poses significant challenges to income growth, inequality, and meaningful work. At the same time, AI has geopolitical significance, with many national and supranational governments shying away from intervening…

By: Mona Sloane (opens in a new tab), Ekkehard Ernst (opens in a new tab)

Boosting U.S. worker power and voice in the AI-enabled workplace (opens in a new tab)

Blog FEB 19, 2025

The deployment of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace has grown rapidly in the United States. Labor unions have been at the forefront of efforts to encourage more productive and sustainable…

By: Virginia Doellgast (opens in a new tab), Nell Geiser (opens in a new tab)

Understanding market concentration in the AI supply chain (opens in a new tab)

Blog JAN 28, 2025

Artificial intelligence is more than just the applications we use, such as chatbots and predictive algorithms. Beneath the surface of AI lies a technology stack that is increasingly concentrated at…

By: Tejas Narechania (opens in a new tab)

ASSA 2025 Round-up: Day 3 (opens in a new tab)

Blog JAN 6, 2025

Yesterday was the third and final day of the 2025 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

ASSA 2025 Round-up: Day 1 (opens in a new tab)

Blog JAN 4, 2025

Yesterday was the first day of the 2025 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held in San…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

Accelerating research can help fill the AI knowledge gaps for U.S. policymakers (opens in a new tab)

Issue Briefs DEC 17, 2024

It is hard for policymakers to ignore today’s “AI arms race” and the public debate on the economic and social significance of generative artificial intelligence. The discourse is fueled in…

By: Rohini Kosoglu (opens in a new tab), Christian Edlagan (opens in a new tab)

Request for Proposals: Promoting competition and supporting workers in an era of AI innovation (opens in a new tab)

RFPs NOV 20, 2024

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

Request for proposals: Research grants for early career scholars (opens in a new tab)

RFPs OCT 30, 2024

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

Estimating the prevalence of automated management and surveillance technologies at work and their impact on workers’ well-being (opens in a new tab)

Reports OCT 1, 2024

Evidence from a new national survey and implications for U.S. federal policy U.S. employers are deploying artificial-intelligence-powered and automated tools to monitor and manage workers, including tracking workers’ locations, activities,…

By: Alexander Hertel-Fernandez (opens in a new tab)

Negative worker health and well-being associations are highest when electronic monitoring is used to discipline workers or suppress worker voice (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

Association between monitoring and unsafe or unhealthy work speeds persists, independent of worker and workplace characteristics (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

Workers experiencing automated task management technology report more workplace injuries (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

Workers experiencing automated task management technology work faster than they say is healthy or safe (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

More heavily monitored workers report more workplace injuries (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

More heavily monitored workers are more anxious at work (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

More heavily monitored workers works faster than they say is healthy or safe (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

Workers at larger employers report higher rates of automated management and surveillance technologies (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

Black and Hispanic workers report higher rates of electronic monitoring at work (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

Black and Hispanic workers report higher rates of automated management technologies at work (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

Workers all along the earnings distribution report experiencing surveillance in the workplace (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

Workers report similar levels of automated management and surveillance regardless of their educational attainment (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations SEP 12, 2024

The upcoming U.S. election’s most important policy effects are under the radar (opens in a new tab)

Blog SEP 3, 2024

Although the old maxim that Labor Day marks the true beginning of U.S. presidential campaigns may no longer hold, the end of summer and beginning of fall remain a period…

By: Kevin Rinz (opens in a new tab)

New federal heat standard will protect U.S. workers from the ill effects of high temperatures amid intensifying climate change (opens in a new tab)

Blog AUG 1, 2024

U.S. workers are more vulnerable than ever to the ill effects of high and rising temperatures as the world continues to shatter heat records this year. Climate-related deaths and injuries…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

Bonus Question: How Does Flexible Incentive Pay Affect Wage Rigidity? (opens in a new tab)

Working Papers JUL 17, 2024

We introduce dynamic incentive contracts into a model of inflation and unemployment dynamics. Our main result is that wage cyclicality from incentives neither affects the slope of the Phillips curve…

By: Meghana Gaur (opens in a new tab), John Grigsby (opens in a new tab), Jonathon Hazell (opens in a new tab), Abdoulaye Ndiaye (opens in a new tab)

New federal heat standard offers novel distributional analysis to determine which workers benefit and how (opens in a new tab)

Blog JUL 16, 2024

The U.S. Department of Labor recently released a much-anticipated proposed rule that promises to protect workers from on-the-job injuries and deaths that result from toiling in the heat. The timing…

By: David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)

A researcher’s guide to identifying policy-relevant research questions for the federal government (opens in a new tab)

Essays MAY 30, 2024

Social science researchers play an important role in the policymaking process. Researchers help policymakers at all levels of government to understand key trends and issues in the U.S. economy and…

By: Alexander Hertel-Fernandez (opens in a new tab)

U.S. workers, generative AI, and the future of work (opens in a new tab)

Blog MAY 9, 2024

The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 captured the world’s attention and illustrated the potential of generative Artificial Intelligence to instantly perform tasks long considered quintessentially “human.” Already, the technology…

By: Molly Kinder (opens in a new tab)

New workplace surveillance bill would protect U.S. workers and address new technological risks (opens in a new tab)

Blog MAY 2, 2024

Across the U.S. economy, the risks posed by unchecked automated surveillance and management technologies are widespread—and growing. These technologies can sometimes be beneficial for workers, customers, and businesses alike. For…

By: Alexander Hertel-Fernandez (opens in a new tab)

Request for Proposals: How effective was the fiscal response to the COVID-19 recession for workers? (opens in a new tab)

RFPs MAR 18, 2024

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

Request for proposals: Research grants for early career scholars (opens in a new tab)

RFPs NOV 30, 2023

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

Algorithmic wage discrimination requires policy solutions that enforce predictability and the U.S. spirit of equal pay for equal work (opens in a new tab)

Blog JUL 12, 2023

U.S. consumers generally believe that gig workers who labor for companies such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. are free to set their own hours and thus able to…

By: Veena Dubal (opens in a new tab)

New IRS report examines free tax filing option to reduce the cost and complexity for U.S. taxpayers (opens in a new tab)

Issue Briefs JUN 1, 2023

Filing a tax return with the Internal Revenue Service is one of the most common interactions Americans have with the federal government. Unfortunately, this process is often time-consuming and complex.…

By: Andre Gobbo (opens in a new tab)

Equitable Growth grantee Gabriel Zucman awarded the 2023 John Bates Clark Medal (opens in a new tab)

Blog MAY 9, 2023

Earlier this month, associate professor of public policy and economics Gabriel Zucman at the University of California, Berkeley—and a Washington Center for Equitable Growth 2018 grantee—won the 2023 John Bates…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

In Conversation with Daron Acemoglu (opens in a new tab)

In Conversation MAY 8, 2023

Equitable Growth in Conversation is a recurring series where we talk with economists and other academics to help us better understand whether and how economic inequality affects economic growth and…

By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab)

Seven ways the inflation debate in the United States has changed since last year and how the Fed can now recalibrate its monetary policy (opens in a new tab)

Blog APR 12, 2023

Inflation in the United States today is considerably cooler than at its peak in the first half of 2022, but it will remain at the center of the economic policy…

By: Michael Madowitz (opens in a new tab)

Executive actions to reduce inequality and improve job quality for U.S. workers (opens in a new tab)

Blog MAR 16, 2023

Relevant federal agencies: Federal Trade Commission Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Office of Personnel Management Relevant laws: Federal Trade Commission’s Trade Regulation Rule on Commercial Surveillance and Data Security, Commercial Surveillance…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

The importance of the American Rescue Plan for U.S. workers and families on the law’s second anniversary, in 8 charts (opens in a new tab)

Blog MAR 10, 2023

Tomorrow marks 2 years since the American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law. One year after the COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020 triggered enormous employment losses and…

By: Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab), Raksha Kopparam (opens in a new tab)

Equitable Growth delivers letter responding to the NTIA’s Privacy, Equity, and Civil Rights Request for Comment (opens in a new tab)

Blog MAR 6, 2023

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth this week delivered a comment letter responding to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Privacy, Equity, and Civil Rights Request for Comment. Our comment…

By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab)

Automated and algorithmic management is already here, invisibly shaping job quality for U.S. workers (opens in a new tab)

Blog JAN 24, 2023

Predictions about which jobs may be “lost” in the United States as employers implement new automation and algorithmic technologies often consider management tasks and roles as the least vulnerable to…

By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab)

A missed opportunity to expand the Child Tax Credit will affect U.S. families and the broader economy now and for years to come (opens in a new tab)

Blog DEC 21, 2022

Earlier this week, the U.S. Congress released its proposed omnibus bill that funds the federal government through September 2023 and makes various other reforms to the nation’s retirement system, antitrust…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)