White House Says AI Is Not Eliminating Jobs, Even as Tech Layoffs Mount

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Monday there is "no sign in the data" that artificial intelligence is currently costing workers their jobs, even as a series of high-profile tech companies cite AI as a driver behind significant workforce reductions.

"There's no sign in the data that AI is costing anybody their job right now, but we are studying the future of AI and what it means for the workforce, so we've got a big taskforce on that," Hassett told CNBC's "Squawk Box."

His remarks come amid a sustained wave of layoffs across the technology sector, with companies including Amazon, Meta, and Oracle announcing rounds of job cuts — several of them explicitly framing the reductions as part of a shift toward AI-assisted operations.

Block, the financial technology company, announced in February that it would eliminate nearly 4,000 positions, cutting its headcount by close to half.

Block CFO Amrita Ahuja described the decision in a statement at the time: "We are choosing to shift how we operate at a time when our business is accelerating and we see an opportunity to move faster with smaller, highly talented teams using AI to automate more work."

The tension between Hassett's assessment and the stated rationale of corporate executives underscores a wider debate about how quickly AI-driven automation is translating into real-world employment effects — and whether existing labor data is capturing those changes in real time.

Hassett did not dispute that companies are reorganizing around AI. His argument centered on the aggregate employment figures, which have not yet reflected a broad displacement trend, rather than the motivations companies cite when announcing cuts.

The White House task force he referenced did not have an announced timeline or formal mandate made public as of Monday.

Meanwhile, the AI-and-employment question is also reshaping how major media companies pitch themselves to advertisers. At this week's annual television upfront presentations in New York City, advertising executives from NBCUniversal, Fox Corp., Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Amazon's Prime Video, and Google's YouTube are centering their pitches partly on how artificial intelligence is improving ad-targeting data and campaign outcomes.

"To me, that means more of our media has to work harder and be accountable to brands so that when they do look at what's working in the face of uncertainty we're showing up at the top of that list," said Jay Askinasi, chief revenue officer at Paramount, which recently wrapped its own round of advertiser presentations.

Advertising chiefs who spoke with reporters ahead of the upfront week said macroeconomic concerns — including the Middle East conflict and rising fuel costs — have been largely set aside by marketers this year. The primary focus has shifted to live content, sports rights, and the integration of AI tools into the ad-buying process.

"Overall, advertiser sentiment has remained very positive," said Jeff Collins, Fox's president of advertising sales, marketing and brand partnerships. "I think after Covid and tariffs and wars, clients are used to navigating uncertainty."

None of the advertising executives who spoke ahead of the presentations reported major cancellations or significant pullbacks in spending commitments. Advertisers are seeking more flexibility in contract terms, executives said, but broad budget withdrawals have not materialized.

The upfront week also arrives against the backdrop of significant industry consolidation. Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount are expected to complete their merger in the third quarter, while NBCUniversal has already spun off its cable network portfolio into a newly formed entity called Versant.

Whether Hassett's task force will produce policy recommendations — and on what timeline — remains unclear. What is clear is that AI's role in corporate decision-making is accelerating, even as its footprint in official labor statistics remains, for now, difficult to isolate.

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