AI's Biggest Job Impact Is on Entry-Level Workers, Stanford Study Finds

Newly updated research from Stanford University economists finds that AI is causing significant job losses for younger entry-level workers in AI-exposed fields, while older workers remain largely unaffected. The August 2026 edition of the working paper "Canaries in the Coal Mine?

Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence" shows that employment for workers aged 22 to 25 in highly AI-exposed occupations is now 19 percent below their peers in less exposed fields, up from a 13 percent gap last year. The findings suggest the trend identified in the original paper is not only persisting but expanding.