The AI Wave Is Coming. New York’s Low-Income Workers Aren’t Ready
David R. Jones, La Nueva Mayoria / The New Majority
The world as we know it is rapidly changing as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes so many layers of our society and culture. Our institutions and governments are struggling to cope with this rapid transformation and find ways to regulate the unintended consequences that AI technology is already bringing upon us. Perhaps the most consequential change we are beginning to witness is the way our labor market could be transformed by the elimination of jobs across vast sectors of our economy.
There seems to be an overwhelming focus on the impact AI will have on white-collar jobs in the immediate future. But I worry deeply about the industries in New York that provide jobs to millions of low-income workers, many of whom are Hispanic and Black and are financially ill-equipped to face what might be coming—and I think our government leaders should too. An AI wave is about to hit us, and the state should begin redoubling its efforts to protect those who will be most at risk of financial calamity.
New York has already taken some steps to mitigate the negative impacts of AI technology on the labor market. Under the New York Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (NY WARN) Act, New York became the first state in the nation to require employers to disclose when artificial intelligence plays a role in mass layoffs. In March of this year, Governor Hochul also launched the FutureWorks Commission to Guide Response to Impacts of AI on Workers Across New York, which is tasked with proposing solutions to protect our workforce from the disruptive changes in the labor market caused by automation and the increased adoption of AI by companies.
At the legislative level, state lawmakers are also proposing new laws to address these challenges. One of those is the New York Workforce Stabilization Act, which would require certain businesses to conduct and submit AI impact assessments to the Department of Labor before deploying AI systems. Another bill, the AI Labor Information Act, which passed both houses earlier this year and awaits Governor Hochul’s signature, would require certain businesses to annually report to the Department of Labor how they are using artificial intelligence and the impact it is having on hiring.
It’s hard to predict the exact magnitude of the AI wave that will inevitably hit our labor market. The Office of the New York City Comptroller has attempted to forecast a few scenarios for New York City in a report released in May of this year. The report estimates a 50% probability that AI could result in negative outcomes, including slower economic growth and job displacement, particularly among white-collar and entry-level workers.
The first signs of AI-driven job displacement may already be evident in the city’s stagnant job growth. According to a report by the Center for an Urban Future, the total number of available entry-level jobs in the city fell 37% between 2022 and 2024. And in 2025, only 33,400 new private-sector jobs were added, representing a 0.8% rate of growth that was largely driven by low-paying jobs that offer few benefits and limited stability.
There seems to be wide acknowledgment—and growing concern—about the impact AI could have on white-collar, knowledge-based jobs. Yes, these jobs may be among the most exposed to disappearing in the near future. But we cannot ignore the not-so-distant threat AI poses to the industries that employ millions of low-income New Yorkers, who already struggle to make ends meet and save for retirement, as revealed by the most recent data from the Community Service Society’s (CSS) 2025 Annual Survey of Housing and Economic Security.
Low-paying jobs might still be growing, but we don’t know for how long. We may still be far away from robots replacing health care aides, but what about those working in food preparation, cashiers at retail stores, rideshare drivers, food delivery couriers, and other platform-based workers? Just across the river, Jersey City residents can already get their food delivered by a Uber robot, and no tip is required.
The question is not whether AI will transform New York’s labor market—it already is—but whether we will be prepared for the consequences. New York has taken some important first steps, but transparency and data collection alone is not enough. We need a proactive strategy that puts workers, particularly those living on the financial margins, at the center of our response. That means investing in retraining and workforce development, strengthening the social safety net, and ensuring that companies benefiting from AI-driven productivity also contribute to the communities and workers who bear its costs. If the AI wave is coming, we cannot wait until it crashes over millions of New Yorkers before we act.
David R. Jones, Esq., is President and CEO of the Community Service Society (CSS), New York's leading advocate for low-income New Yorkers for more than 175 years, and a member of the MTA Board. The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author. The New Majority is available on the CSS website at www.cssny.org