US economy now a leveraged bet on AI success, says Lazard CEO

Investing.com -- The United States economy has become a leveraged bet on artificial intelligence, according to Lazard Inc. Chief Executive Officer Peter Orszag, who pointed to the technology's impact on stock market growth and consumer spending.

Orszag said on the Bloomberg Deals television show Wednesday that AI and high-income consumers represent the primary sources of growth in the US. These consumers are also benefiting from AI-driven gains in equities.

"Like many bets, it may or may not pay off, but it's a good bet to be making," Orszag said

Lazard this week advised NextEra Energy Inc. on its $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy Inc., a transaction that highlights how AI is increasing demand for power and pushing utilities to pursue larger scale operations.

Orszag warned that the economy may encounter challenges as companies and workforces adapt to changes brought by AI.

"Labor markets deal well with small shocks that happen fast or large shocks that happen slow — this could be a large shock that happens fast," he said.

Banking executives have increasingly discussed workforce automation. Standard Chartered Plc CEO Bill Winters said Tuesday he is cutting lower-value human capital, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. President John Waldron last week described his firm's operations as a human assembly line ready for automation.

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