Pritzker warns AI could bring job losses and high unemployment
The Illinois governor discusses AI, data centers, privacy and the Bears in a Decoder interview.
Policy#07
4 percent
Unemployment rate called acceptable near full employment
Image: The Verge
4 percentUnemployment rate called acceptable near full employment
The short version
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker spoke with Nilay Patel on Decoder about AI, tech, and privacy.
- Pritzker said AI could be transformative and potentially existential, and that power is concentrated in too few hands.
- He warned that AI could push unemployment from 4 percent toward 7 or 10 percent, and said the benefits would go to very few people.
- Patel argued that data centers, privacy, and antitrust are driving a bipartisan political realignment, and Pritzker said the government has to become more active.
Why it matters
The interview shows a state governor pressing for stronger government action on AI companies and job displacement. For developers, it signals rising political pressure around data centers, privacy, and competition in the AI industry.
“We better be focused on how we're going to give people the dignity of work and enough income so that they can make a life for themselves when you're going to put people out of work by virtue of this technology.”