Will AI Replace Young Workers? Six Surprising Findings from a Stanford Study

Since the AI boom, the question of whether humans will be replaced and become unemployed has been hotly debated.

This article shares a recent Stanford paper titled "Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence," which analyzes data from ADP, the largest payroll processor in the United States serving over 25 million employees.

AI is beginning to affect early‑career workers; occupations with high AI exposure see a sharp decline in employment rates for 22‑ to 25‑year‑olds, such as software developers and customer service representatives. 22 to 25‑year‑old early‑career employment rates drop significantly .

AI‑intensive occupations are showing a split between junior and senior workers: overall employment growth remains strong, but growth for young workers has stalled since the end of 2022. In low‑AI‑exposure jobs, young workers’ growth matches that of older workers, whereas in high‑AI‑exposure jobs, employment for 22‑ to 25‑year‑olds fell 6% from late 2022 to July 2025, while older workers’ employment rates increased by 6‑9% .

AI applications do not necessarily lead to a reduction in early‑career jobs; the paper reports that not all AI uses are linked to employment decline. Automation‑focused AI reduces entry‑level jobs, but AI that primarily augments work does not.

Older workers’ employment rates not increasing but decreasing is shocking, yet from personal experience, experienced employees using AI assistance can achieve greater efficiency than newcomers. Actively embracing AI is therefore a crucial way to avoid being eliminated and to advance during this differentiation.

References

Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence:

https://digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Canaries_BrynjolfssonChandarChen.pdf