Authored by Bill Pan via The Epoch Times,
The rise of artificial intelligence coincides with a sharp deterioration in initial earnings and employment for graduates of the college majors most exposed to the technology, according to a new study.
A job seeker meets with a recruiter during a job fair at the Carson Event Center in Carson, Calif., on June 30, 2026. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesSince the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, graduates in the 10 percent of majors most exposed to AI saw their likelihood of finding a job shortly after graduation fall by 5 percentage points, according to a working paper published by the U.S. Census Bureau's Center for Economic Studies on Sept. 10.
Their initial quarterly earnings also fell by about 13 percent relative to graduates in fields less exposed to AI, according to the findings.
"This earnings decline is comparable in magnitude to the earnings losses associated with graduating into a large recession," the researchers wrote.
The researchers analyzed administrative records covering roughly 29 percent of U.S. bachelor's degrees awarded between 2016 and 2024. They found that graduates of the three majors most exposed to AI - computer science, computer and information systems, and computer engineering - experienced the largest declines in both employment and earnings after 2022.
"Fewer of these graduates found jobs immediately after graduation, and those who did so received lower earnings," they wrote.
Graduates Shift Into Lower-Paying WorkAccording to the study, the decline in earnings among graduates from the most AI-exposed majors was driven by two main factors: Industries that traditionally hired them began paying less, and more graduates took jobs in lower-paying industries.
"About half of the earnings decline reflects a shift away from high-paying industry sectors and toward lower-paying sectors such as Retail Trade and Accommodation and Food Services," the authors wrote.
The earnings gap between graduates from the most and least AI-exposed majors narrowed over time, falling to about 5 percent two years after graduation.
Researchers also found higher job-switching rates, suggesting that some graduates eventually moved into better-paying positions.
However, the authors said there is not yet enough data to determine whether those graduates will fully catch up with people who entered the labor market before generative AI became widespread.
Another SurveyIn a recent survey of 261 graduates by the online learning platform Study.com, none of the respondents with computer science or information technology degrees said that AI made them wish that they had chosen a different major.
By contrast, 43 percent of communications, journalism, and media graduates said they would choose a different major when considering AI's impact. Biological sciences followed at 28 percent, and psychology at 22 percent.
Among all graduates surveyed, 77 percent said college was still the right choice despite AI's impact on the job market, while 22 percent said they would have chosen a different major knowing what they know now about AI.
The findings are notably limited by a small sample size, as individual major groups included roughly one to two dozen respondents.
AI Is Not the Only HeadwindAn earlier analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis suggests that AI is only part of a broader problem facing young workers aged 18 to 24.
In a report published in June, economists at the bank found that a decline in job openings was the biggest contributor to weaker employment and higher unemployment among young workers from 2023 through 2025.
Growth in AI-related jobs also appeared to displace some new entrants, particularly recent college graduates, but its impact was smaller than the overall decline in labor demand.
Recent college graduates still had a 79 percent employment-to-population ratio nationally in early 2026, the St. Louis Fed noted, but a "low-hire, low-fire" labor market has made it harder for newcomers to get their first foothold.
"AI is not eliminating jobs across the economy. Instead, it is raising the bar for young workers trying to secure their first foothold in the labor market, an area in which employers feel less of a need to advertise openings, make offers and hire," the authors wrote.
Tyler Durden Fri, 09/18/2026 - 17:40Attorney Edward Paltzik said Thursday that he is representing Michael Desronvil, the lone holdout juror in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, who would not agree that Clancy was not criminally responsible for strangling her three children in January 2023. According to Paltzik, Desronvil has relocated to an undisclosed location in northern New England after his refusal to join the rest of the jury made him the target of a mob.
"I can now confirm that I am representing the courageous and heroic lone holdout juror from the Lindsay Clancy Trial," he wrote in a post on X. "Please pray for him and help us protect him."
Paltzik described Desronvil as an "American Hero and Champion of Justice" who "loves the United States of America as the greatest country in the world," and "cherishes our sacred Constitution as the pinnacle of human liberty." He also added that Desronvil supports "our amazing leader, President Donald J. Trump, as a fellow defender of common-sense, liberty, and sanity."
Paltzik also promised consequences for whoever came after his client, writing that "the evil people who have so viciously attacked this American Hero and Champion of Justice will be held accountable to the maximum extent of the law and beyond." Desronvil is riding out the fallout somewhere quiet. Paltzik said his client is "presently safe and sound at an undisclosed secure location in a rural area of Northern New England," sustained by his faith and family.
"In the meantime, though, he has persevered and remains utterly unbroken thanks to his devout Catholic Faith. As a devoted father and man of God, he will not be defeated or shattered by the wicked who wish harm upon him."
I can now confirm that I am representing the courageous and heroic lone holdout juror from the Lindsay Clancy Trial. He is an American Hero and Champion of Justice. Please pray for him and help us protect him. This American Hero and Champion of Justice loves...
— Edward Andrew Paltzik, Attorney (@EdPaltzik) September 17, 2026The New York Times reported Friday that Desronvil has also broken his silence, following days of the other jurors publicly attacking him in various media appearances.
"He had the hardest time getting off the fact that Lindsay viciously killed her children," one female juror explained.
Female juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial on the lone male holdout: "He had the hardest time getting over the fact that Lindsay viciously killed her children."
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 8, 2026Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, also attacked Desronvil.
"I hope that guy can sleep well at night," he said. "[The other jurors] were robbed by one man for whatever his agenda was, who stole seven weeks of the life of these other jurors that were so attentive, so beautiful, so wonderful and listened to this evidence, and you can see how defeated they were sitting there."
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 4, 2026Desronvil laid out his reasoning for not joining the other jurors in a statement released through his attorney. "I didn't have any doubts," the statement began. He also revealed that it was the other jurors who didn't have an open mind and tried to shut him down during deliberations.
"As I tried to explain different possible theories during deliberation, I kept getting cut off as if I had doubts based on the evidence presented. Based on all the physical evidence, key witnesses, and what the prosecution presented, I thought it was enough proof that she (Clancy) knew exactly what she was doing and planned."
That account runs counter to the version some of his fellow jurors offered when they went public.
Clancy's case returns to roughly where it stood before the trial began. Clancy remains held at Tewksbury State Hospital and remains charged with murder, awaiting resolution of the criminal case against her. Judge William Sullivan has scheduled a status hearing for Sept. 29 and said at the Sept. 4 mistrial hearing that if prosecutors go again, he would like to try the case this fall, though District Attorney Timothy Cruz has yet to say whether he will retry Clancy.
Tyler Durden Fri, 09/18/2026 - 17:20