If you've been worried that AI is coming for your job, White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks has a message for you: relax. According to new data he's citing from Vanguard, artificial intelligence isn't the job-killing monster everyone fears. In fact, it might be doing the exact opposite.
The Numbers Tell a Different Story
Sacks took to social media platform X to call out what he sees as the "AI job loss hoax," backing up his claim with some pretty striking statistics. The Vanguard study he referenced tracked employment trends from the second quarter of 2023 through the same period in 2025, covering the post-COVID recovery period.
Here's what the data actually shows: jobs with high exposure to AI automation aren't just surviving—they're thriving compared to the broader market. We're talking about a meaningful performance gap across two key metrics.
On the job growth front, occupations heavily integrated with AI expanded by 1.7%, which is more than double the 0.8% growth rate for all other occupations. But the wage picture is even more dramatic. Real wages for AI-exposed roles jumped 3.8%, absolutely dwarfing the modest 0.7% increase that other workers saw.
"Rather than causing job loss, AI is making workers more productive, driving gains in both jobs and wages," Sacks wrote. His argument? AI acts as a career accelerant, not a pink slip generator.
But Wait, There's a Complication
Sacks' optimistic take fits neatly into the Donald Trump administration's broader playbook of deregulation and technological acceleration to keep America ahead in the global tech race. The timing is interesting, though, because the wider labor market is sending some mixed signals.
The November jobs report dropped Tuesday, and it wasn't exactly a celebration. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.6%—the highest we've seen since September 2021. Private-sector hiring barely moved the needle with just 69,000 jobs added. The labor market isn't collapsing, but it's definitely cooling down.
Navy Federal Credit Union Chief Economist Heather Long didn't mince words, calling the current situation a "hiring recession." She pointed out that there are now 710,000 more unemployed Americans than there were a year ago. And here's where it gets interesting: Long specifically named artificial intelligence adoption as one of the contributing factors to this stagnation, alongside tariffs and corporate cost-cutting.
So we've got Sacks pointing to AI as a job creator based on Vanguard's data, while other economists are flagging AI adoption as part of the reason hiring has slowed. Both things could be true at the same time—AI might be boosting certain high-skilled roles while simultaneously putting pressure on others.
Investment Opportunities in the AI Space
For investors looking to play the AI theme amid all this debate, here are some technology-focused ETFs worth considering:
| ETF Name | YTD Performance | One Year Performance |
| iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) | 22.85% | 22.86% |
| Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF (FTEC) | 19.50% | 19.33% |
| First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund (FDN) | 9.97% | 8.73% |
| iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) | 24.31% | 24.42% |
| iShares Global Tech ETF (IXN) | 21.02% | 20.96% |
| Defiance Quantum ETF (QTUM) | 32.16% | 40.40% |
| Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF (MAGS) | 22.95% | 19.25% |
The reality is probably more nuanced than either the doomsayers or the boosters want to admit. AI appears to be creating significant value in certain occupations while potentially displacing workers in others. The net effect on employment might depend heavily on which side of that divide you're standing on.