economy
February 23, 2026
How AI agents could destroy the economy
Citrini Research imagines a report from two years in the future, in which unemployment has doubled and the total value of the stock market has fallen by more than a third.
TL;DR
- Citrini Research outlined a scenario where agentic AI could lead to mass economic destruction in two years.
- The scenario projects doubled unemployment and a more than one-third fall in stock market value.
- A negative feedback loop is described: AI reduces need for workers, leading to layoffs, less spending, and more AI investment.
- This "bear case" differs from Skynet-style fears, focusing instead on economic gradual unspooling.
- The scenario implicates business models involving the optimization of transactions between companies.
- While described as a scenario, not a prediction, the plausibility of the economic impact is being discussed.
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