https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-025-00547-9
Research
AI and the economic divide: How Artificial Intelligence could widen the divide in the U.S.
1
Nokia Bell Labs, Cambridge, UK
2
Kings College London, United Kingdom, London, UK
3
CYENS Centre of Excellence, Nicosia, Cyprus
Received:
13
September
2024
Accepted:
28
March
2025
Published online:
17
April
2025
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been repeatedly associated with the potential for automating, or even augmenting, occupational tasks. However, the geographical impact of AI remains unclear. Building on previous work, we employed a deep learning natural language processing model to automatically identify AI patents impacting various occupational tasks. We analyzed a dataset of 17,879 task descriptions and quantified AI’s potential impact at metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) within the U.S. by examining 24,758 AI patents filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) between 2015 and 2022. Our findings reveal that MSAs that will be more likely to be impacted by AI are not just hubs of creative industries but will also be characterized by a lack of economic diversity. Indeed, the U.S. MSAs that will be more likely to be impacted are those heavily specialized, with little to no efforts at diversification. These dynamics suggest that AI could amplify existing divides, hitting hardest in areas where economic opportunities are already concentrated in a few sectors, leaving many behind in the race for innovation-driven growth.
Key words: Future of work / AI / Patents / Labor market / Deep learning / Geography / Natural language processing
© The Author(s) 2025
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