White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said artificial intelligence is helping create jobs and boosting productivity across the economy [1].
This perspective comes as the U.S. government seeks to address public anxiety regarding job displacement caused by automation. By framing AI as a tool for enhancement rather than a replacement, the administration is encouraging a workforce-wide shift toward technological literacy to maintain economic stability.
During interviews in early March 2026 on Bloomberg Television and CNBC, Hassett said that individual initiative is the primary defense against professional obsolescence. He said that the integration of these tools into daily workflows allows workers to remain competitive as the nature of labor evolves [1, 2].
"The very best thing you can do to protect yourself and protect your career is to start using AI tools yourself to make yourself more productive," Hassett said [3].
Hassett also linked the technological boom to broader macroeconomic goals. He said that the combination of AI and fiscal policy is expected to drive a surge in U.S. production, which he said should help lower inflation [4]. This productivity push is part of a larger growth trajectory, with a U.S. economic growth forecast of four percent for 2026 [5].
The director's remarks highlight a strategy of leveraging AI to accelerate industrial output. By increasing the efficiency of the average worker, the administration believes the U.S. can sustain higher growth rates, while mitigating the risks of a shifting job market [1, 2].
“AI is helping create jobs and boosting productivity across the economy.”
The administration's focus on 'individual productivity' shifts the burden of adaptation from the employer or state to the employee. By tying AI adoption to a 4 percent growth forecast, the government is signaling that economic expansion in 2026 is contingent upon the workforce's ability to integrate generative tools into the labor market.
