How AI agents could destroy the economy
Image: Primary Citrini Research published an analysis on Sunday that illustrates how agentic artificial intelligence could bring on mass economic destruction over the next two years. The report presents the account as a scenario rather than a prediction.
The analysis imagines a future report from two years ahead in which unemployment has doubled and the total value of the stock market has fallen by more than a third. It describes a negative feedback loop with no natural brake in which AI capabilities improve, companies need fewer workers, white-collar layoffs increase, displaced workers spend less, and margin pressure pushes firms to invest more in AI.
The scenario examines the integration of AI agents into the economy and the replacement of outside contractors by cheaper in-house systems. It extends to any business model that involves optimizing transactions between companies. The publication has generated discussion online, with some observers questioning whether companies would hand off purchasing decisions to AI agents.
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