New York Times: Artificial Intelligence boom deepens America’s wealth gap | economy

A New York Times report warned of a widening wealth gap in the United States as the boom in artificial intelligence and technology companies continues, at a time when American families face increasing pressures as a result of inflation, high costs of living, and declining purchasing power.

These fears came days after the announcement of official data showing that rising energy prices “ate up” the increase in wages achieved by American workers during about a year and a half, coinciding with the offering of SpaceX on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, which made its founder Elon Musk the first person in the world whose wealth exceeded a trillion dollars.

Experts believe that this discrepancy between the decline in household incomes and the expansion of the wealth of major investors in technology and artificial intelligence companies reinforces the feeling of a wide segment of Americans that the fruits of economic growth are not distributed in a balanced manner.

Economic data showed that real wages in the United States declined in three consecutive months, erasing the gains made by workers during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, coinciding with the rise in inflation to its highest levels in three years due to the rise in energy prices, while the workers’ share of national income fell to the lowest level recorded during the first quarter of 2026.

Record riches

According to data collected by French economists Gabriel Zucman and Emmanuel Saez, the wealth of the 20 richest people in the United States is currently equivalent to 12% of the country’s annual economic output, compared to only about 3% in the late nineteenth century.

Although millions of Americans benefit from rising stock markets through retirement funds and investments, many families still focus on daily income and costs of living more than long-term financial asset gains.

Concerns about the labor market

These developments coincided with mounting concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market, as large segments of employees fear that the spread of technology will lead to the reduction of office and professional jobs in the coming years.

Analysts believe that artificial intelligence companies have been the main driver of the rise of stock markets in recent months, while the offerings of companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic are expected to pave the way for a huge wave of listings that may add trillions of dollars to the market value of American stocks.

But experts warn that any slowdown or sharp decline in the artificial intelligence sector may reflect negatively on investments, jobs, and retirement savings, which increases the state of economic uncertainty that Americans are currently feeling.

Economists believe that the challenge is not limited to achieving growth or creating wealth, but rather extends to ensuring that a broader segment of society benefits from economic and technological gains in the coming years.