Recent discussions around the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various industries have raised questions about the pace of its integration into the workforce. Martha Gimbel, director of the Yale Budget Lab and coauthor of a report examining AI’s effect on the labor market, indicated that there is currently no significant impact on jobs attributed to AI. Gimbel’s perspective suggests that many economists consider the effects of technology over longer periods than those in the tech sector might anticipate.
Gimbel expressed that it would be historically unprecedented for a technology to have an immediate impact as anticipated by some contemporary observers. This implies that much of the economy is still assessing the functionalities and relevance of AI rather than determining its replacement.
The business response to AI project failures appears nuanced. Executives, particularly in consulting, take these failures seriously but do not regard them as indicative of a technology flaw. Instead, they attribute issues to delays in project implementation, insufficient data for effective AI development, and various strategic challenges.
Despite mounting pressure for public companies to invest in AI, some firms have reconsidered their approach. For instance, Klarna, originally planning to shift jobs to AI, later reinstated hiring, citing that while AI enhances speed, human talent is essential for empathy in customer service. Additionally, companies such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell have halted trials using AI voice assistants in drive-throughs.
Further, experts note that a large portion of Coca-Cola’s advertising still does not involve generative AI, despite significant investments aimed at advancing AI initiatives. The current climate raises key questions about the strategic reassessment of AI investments among companies and the reasons behind their reticence to share this information publicly.
Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/28/1126687/an-ai-adoption-riddle/