Left Behind by the Machine: AI-Driven Labor Displacement and the Failure of America's Social Safety Net
In
Capstones - Spring 2026
In line with the continued advancement of artificial intelligence, an unprecedented number of people employed in office work, administration, and service jobs face long-term job displacement at speeds that are beyond the scope of current policy solutions. The American social safety system, predicated on the policies implemented under the Social Security Act of 1935, was conceived under the assumption of cyclical short-term employment losses, not structural technology-induced employment loss. As such, this paper will examine the extent of job displacement brought about by AI development, how the burden of such displacement is disproportionately borne by women and Midwestern workers with less adaptive capacity, and how the gulf has widened between the recognition of the issue at the federal level and its implementation.
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