MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce
Source: CNBC
Tech
MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce
Published Wed, Nov 26 2025 10:00 AM EST Updated 13 Min Ago
MacKenzie Sigalos
@KENZIESIGALOS
Key Points
* Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a study that found that artificial intelligence can already replace 11.7% of the U.S. labor market.
* The study was conducted using a labor simulation tool called the Iceberg Index, which was created by MIT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
* For lawmakers preparing billion-dollar reskilling and training investments, the index offers a detailed map of where disruption is forming down to the zip code.
AI can already replace 11.7% of the U.S. workforce, MIT study finds
Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday released a study that found that artificial intelligence can already replace 11.7% of the U.S. labor market, or as much as $1.2 trillion in wages across finance, health care and professional services.
The study was conducted using a labor simulation tool called the Iceberg Index, which was created by MIT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The index simulates how 151 million U.S. workers interact across the country and how they are affected by AI and corresponding policy.
The Iceberg Index, which was announced earlier this year, offers a forward-looking view of how AI may reshape the labor market, not just in coastal tech hubs but across every state in the country. For lawmakers preparing billion-dollar reskilling and training investments, the index offers a detailed map of where disruption is forming down to the zip code.
“Basically, we are creating a digital twin for the U.S. labor market,” said Prasanna Balaprakash, ORNL director and co-leader of the research. ORNL is a Department of Energy research center in eastern Tennessee, home to the Frontier supercomputer, which powers many large-scale modeling efforts.
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Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/26/mit-study-finds-ai-can-already-replace-11point7percent-of-us-workforce.html
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There are some jobs that will never be taken over by robots (AI) because it won't be cost effective. For example, fast food workers can rest easy because it's cheaper to pay humans minimum wages that to purchase robots to replace them. Also there are hazardous jobs that will continue being done by humans, such as plumbing, electrical, many outdoor jobs, as well as some law-enforcement and fire-fighting jobs but eventually those will be taken over by robots after the easier jobs have all been automated.
The trade-off will continue to be whether the owners decide to invest in more robots, or is it easier and cheaper to use humans for some jobs? The cost of robots will come down eventually, as more automated manufacturing makes it cheaper to build and program the robots. When robots build the robots, humans will still be the programmers and the quality-control testers, at least for a time.
I have a feeling that Sam Altman will be long dead, as we all will be, when the human race finally reaches that point.
Look up. 
I'm sure those 19 million people can find challenging, good paying jobs with benefits elsewhere.
