Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in Danish workplaces. A peer-reviewed research article, co-authored by CEFAU researchers Michael Koch and Sarah Schroeder, shows that AI may affect the labor market in a fundamentally different way than previous technological advances. Unlike robots, AI does not primarily impact the labor market by replacing existing jobs or creating new ones. Instead, AI changes the composition of tasks within AI-exposed jobs—and this can have large, heterogeneous effects on wages and skill requirements. If companies—and the broader economy—are to reap the potential productivity gains from artificial intelligence, it requires continuous upskilling and training.

The key takeaways of this research brief are:

• With a threefold increase over two years, the use of artificial intelligence is rapidly expanding among Danish companies
• Robots and artificial intelligence affect very different groups in the labor market
• Robots replace jobs; artificial intelligence changes job content
• The results indicate a statistically significant positive effect on wages from increased exposure to artificial intelligence
• AI's effect on wages is not uniform. Employees working in knowledge-intensive services—such as accountants, architects, or programmers—experience an average decline in wages, while lower-educated workers on average experience wage increases
• AI is also associated with wage decreases for employees whose job content has changed significantly, but who have remained in the same position
• ChatGPT has not led to a decline in the total number of jobs, but there has been a significant drop in employment among young people in professions highly exposed to artificial intelligence. In contrast, employment among workers over 50 has increased in AI-exposed professions following the launch of ChatGPT
• The greatest risk of AI is not job loss—but a mismatch between tasks, skills, and wages
• Education and continuous training in the use of AI are crucial if companies are to take advantage of the productivity improvements that artificial intelligence offers.

The research brief contextualizes and describes the findings in a Danish setting based on the article: Engberg, E., M. Koch, M. Lodefalk, and S. Schroeder (2025): Artificial intelligence, tasks, skills, and wages: Worker-level evidence from Germany. Research Policy, 54(8), 105285.

The research brief can be read here (in Danish).