Over 200 experts and Nobel laureates urge immediate action on AI economic impact

More than 200 economic and technological experts, including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, have issued a joint statement urging immediate intervention to manage the economic impact of artificial intelligence. The declaration, coordinated by the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, warns of large-scale job displacement and sweeping structural changes if preemptive policies are not enacted.

The 88-word letter, titled "We Must Act Now," outlines a stark challenge facing global labor markets. While artificial intelligence promises major gains in living standards, its rapid evolution is creating immediate vulnerabilities for the current workforce. The experts warn that AI's impact could exceed the scale of the Industrial Revolution, but unfold over a "vastly shorter time frame."

To prevent these shifts from causing unchecked disruption, the coalition is calling for the rapid development of incentives, guardrails, and institutional frameworks. Rather than a specific policy prescription, the letter serves as an urgent plea to steer AI development toward complementing human capabilities rather than merely displacing them.

The consensus detailed in the statement underscores that the economic disruption caused by AI differs from previous technological revolutions in its unprecedented pace. The signatories—which include 16 Nobel laureates alongside executives from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic—argue that economists, policymakers, and technology leaders must act immediately to understand and shape the economics of transformative AI.

The statement serves as a formal directive for stakeholders to develop comprehensive frameworks capable of balancing technological advancement with labor stability. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the structural foundations of the global economy, the focus now turns to how governments will respond to the demand for systemic labor protections.