Tracking and monitoring AI impacts\u00a0<\/p>\n
The California AI-Unemployment Tracker<\/a> is a publicly available dashboard developed in partnership between the researchers at the California Policy Lab\u2019s UCLA site and the California Employment Development Department. The tool is designed not only to inform policymakers but also to help Californians better understand how AI is intersecting with the workforce and the broader job market.<\/p>\n \u201cThe AI\u2011Unemployment Tracker provides us with a clearer picture of how AI is affecting working people and jobs, and where we need to focus support and training. By grounding our decisions in data, we can respond early and strengthen pathways into good jobs to ensure California\u2019s workforce is able to adapt and thrive as technology evolves.\u201d\u00a0Stewart Knox, Secretary of the Labor & Workforce Development Agency<\/p>\n \u201cAI is advancing quickly, and workers\u2019 concerns about what that could mean for their jobs are real,\u201d\u00a0said co-author Till von Wachter, Professor of Economics at UCLA and Faculty Director of the California Policy Lab\u2019s UCLA site. \u201cThis new tracker helps replace speculation with evidence, giving us a clearer understanding of what\u2019s changing and how to best support affected workers.\u201d<\/p>\n The tracker, which will be updated monthly, provides early indicators of possible AI\u2011related job displacement, allowing the state to proactively identify where interventions \u2014 such as job\u2011search support, retraining and upskilling opportunities, health\u2011coverage guidance, and other essential resources may be needed most.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe California AI unemployment tracker is a great tool for identifying the impacts and opportunities coming from rapidly developing technology,\u201d\u00a0said EDD Director Nancy Farias.\u00a0\u201cIt will give us valuable insight into workforce trends so we can better connect Californians with the resources, training, and support they need to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n Initial data shows no evidence of rising unemployment from AI\u00a0<\/p>\n Paired with the tracker is a comprehensive analysis of the data, which at this time shows no evidence of rising statewide unemployment claims in AI-exposed occupations.<\/p>\n However, the data does demonstrate impacts to workers in high-exposure AI positions following the expansion of AI software available to the public. For example, claims from college-educated workers in occupations with high AI exposure increased after ChatGPT-3.5\u2019s release in 2022, and workers in occupations with high potential AI exposure in the San Francisco Bay Area also experienced a\u00a0 sustained increase. The data did not show large disproportionate increases by race, ethnicity, gender, or age, in the number of high-AI-exposure UI claimants.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, we are not seeing evidence of large-scale AI-related layoffs in California\u2019s labor market,\u201d\u00a0said co-author Dr. Ben Hyman, Senior Researcher at the California Policy Lab.\u00a0\u201cBut we do see patterns in certain regions like the Bay Area, in certain tech-heavy sectors, and among highly AI-exposed workers with college degrees. It will be important to continue monitoring trends for those workers, as well as others, so that policymakers can respond appropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n Protecting workers from AI disruption\u00a0<\/p>\n The report and database were released in response to the Governor\u2019s first-in-the-nation executive order, which mobilizes state agencies, labor experts, economists, universities, and industry leaders to develop new policies, gather data, and identify early warning signs of workforce disruption \u2014 while ensuring workers share in the gains created by AI-driven productivity.\u00a0<\/p>\n This executive order is the third issued by Governor Newsom to help spur innovation, assess risk, and create stronger AI policy in California \u2013 which is guiding the nation in its comprehensive approach in creating commonsense guardrails balanced with opportunities to advance innovation in this growing sector.\u00a0<\/p>\n Leading the way in AI\u00a0<\/p>\n California is home to 33 of the top 50 private AI companies in the world, and no state has taken more aggressive action to strengthen the safety, security, and consumer privacy of technology and online platforms.<\/p>\n In 2023, Governor Newsom made California the first state to take action on Generative AI policy, announcing an\u00a0executive order<\/a>\u00a0to both responsibly adopt this technology in state government and begin studying its risks. The Governor convened world-leading academic experts to draft the\u00a0California Report on Frontier AI Policy<\/a>, providing the state with policy recommendations that helped lead to the Governor\u2019s signature on the first state legislation nationwide, the\u00a0Transparency in Frontier Technology Act<\/a>\u00a0(Senate Bill 53, Wiener) to help ensure that this technology moves forward responsibly. The law has since been replicated and modeled in similar laws adopted in other states.<\/p>\n This adds to other protections signed by Governor Newsom to create\u00a0strong protocols for child safety<\/a>\u00a0and protections against self-harm,\u00a0crack down on sexually explicit deepfakes<\/a>\u00a0and require AI watermarking, protect\u00a0performers\u2019 digital likenesses<\/a>, and\u00a0prevent scams<\/a>\u00a0from AI-generated robocalls. In addition, it supplements the Governor\u2019s\u00a0March 2026 executive order<\/a>, which strengthened civil rights and privacy in California\u2019s procurement of AI technology and expanded California\u2019s adoption of AI to improve government services.<\/p>\n Creating a stronger AI-ready workforce\u00a0<\/p>\n Since Governor Newsom took office, the state has supported more than 674,000 earn-and-learn training opportunities, including over 250,000 registered apprenticeships. The University of California\u2019s Extension program serves over 300,000 people every year, and UC\u2019s innovative new Degree Plus pilot combines a UC bachelor\u2019s degree with skills-based certificates and paid internships to strengthen workforce readiness and connect students with employers.\u00a0<\/p>\n