Most AI-Proof Cities: America’s Strongholds Against the AI Takeover
By
Jane Shaw
Senior Editor Updated: 01/03/2024
We count on Jane to inform our readers about the latest slot games in the US market. With her passion for video games and a degree in engineering, she’s our gambling tech expert. Jane’s also active in our blog section, where she tackles the curiosities and changes in the industry.
Most AI-Proof Cities
Artificial intelligence is everywhere now, even in industries that experts thought months ago wouldn’t be a good fit for it. But is everyone doomed to lose their jobs to the AI onslaught, or are there industries or even certain cities that might remain human-based for longer?
We wanted to find out, so we dug deep into labor statistics from every major city in the U.S., determined which of those jobs were at high, medium, and low risk of being wiped out. We then ranked those cities from somewhat safe to imminent doom from the impending AI takeover.
- Phoenix, AZ, is the most AI-proof city in the U.S.
- Residents of Providence, RI, are the most likely to see AI-related job loss.
- Tech hubs have a better chance of maintaining human relevance as AI grows.
- Large, coastal metropolitan areas have job diversification that makes them less prone to an AI takeover.
Move to Phoenix, AZ, If You’re Afraid of the Big Bad AI
Phoenix, Arizona, is currently the safest place to live if you’re concerned about losing your job to AI.
Phoenix scored 211 (out of the highest possible score of 250) in our ranking, which is significantly higher than the average score among the top 50 cities: 127.5. A higher number means there are currently numerous job openings for a wide range of careers, including a concentration in jobs that carry a low risk when it comes to AI takeover—think firefighters, barbers, surgeons, athletes, and heavy equipment operators.
Phoenix currently has close to 95,000 job openings across a diverse landscape of industries. It also saw a 1.2% economic growth in 2022, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that there will be over 54,000 jobs that we identify as low-risk available in 2032.
Many of the larger cities in the U.S., surprisingly, fall in the top 10 for stability through the AI revolution:
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX: 199
- Los Angeles, CA: 188
- Houston, TX: 187
- Boston, MA: 172
- Seattle, WA: 172
- Charlotte, NC: 172
- Denver, CO: 171
- Atlanta, GA: 168
- Orlando, FL: 163
Larger cities score higher in part because they have a diverse job landscape, which means a lot of available jobs and projected job growth are going to land in industries that probably won’t be taken over by robots for a few more years.
If You Live in Providence, RI, You Might Already Be a Robot
Among the top 50 cities in the country, Providence, Rhode Island, turns out to be the most susceptible to AI-related job loss, with a score of just 50.
Residents in Providence currently only have access to around 24,500 job openings, and it has the 12th least impressive spread of jobs across industries among the 50 largest cities in the U.S.
The city as a whole saw just a 0.1% economic growth in 2022, and the BLS projects that 2032 in Providence will see just a fifth of the job openings for careers we identified as AI-proof.
You might also want to consider a relocation if you live in these cities, which, along with Providence, make up the ten worst places to live if you want to avoid an AI takeover:
- Hartford, CT: 51
- Richmond, VA: 60
- Tucson, AZ: 66
- Memphis, TN: 68
- Milwaukee, WI: 70
- McAllen, TX: 77
- Virginia Beach, VA: 77
- New Orleans, LA: 78
- Louisville, KY: 78
Finding Refuge in the Face of AI
Our results suggest that there are a few things you can do to future-proof yourself in the AI-driven world we seem to be living in.
- Move to a major city: Most of the top-scoring cities for AI safety are large state capitals and major metropolitan areas. The diversification within those areas could mean greater safety when robots come a-knockin’.
- Base yourself around tech: Tech hubs like Austin, Raleigh, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle all score rather high in our ranking. This could very well be because AI-related jobs are going to be the new norm in a relatively short time, but it could also be because technology is likely going to be the industry that sees the largest boom because of automation.
- Avoid hyper-specialized cities: Let’s learn a lesson from cities that used to have a heavy focus on manufacturing, like Detroit and Cleveland. A massive portion of the population worked in a single industry, which was bad news when that industry became automated. There’s security in diversity.
- Consider moving to the coast: Coastal cities tend to score higher, possibly because the larger cities tend to be located near the coasts. Or maybe robots are scared of the beach. In either case, cities on the east and west coast are safer than those located inland.
Wrapping Up: Finding Job Security in an AI-Driven World
It’s no secret that just about every industry is currently going through or will go through a whirlwind of changes as AI becomes more mainstream. If you’re concerned about maintaining a career in the face of the AI takeover, consider moving to a city where job diversification and economic growth mean humans will still be relevant in a few years. Phoenix currently ranks as the most AI-proof city. Arizona, here we come!
Methodology
To create a ranking of U.S. cities based on AI job takeover resistance, five key metrics were collected and compared:
- The total number of jobs available, using data from Indeed and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- The InterQuartile Range indicating economic diversification
- An A.I.-Proof Rating based on the proportion of jobs by facing low, medium, or high A.I. takeover susceptibility, based on data from the Pew Research Center and a study conducted by Cornell University.
- The state’s economic growth rate from the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
- Projected numbers of low A.I. takeover-susceptible jobs by 2032, using research from the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings
Finally, we weighted all of these scores across the top 50 cities in the U.S. to determine one final score that shows a city’s AI susceptibility.
Fair Use
Please feel free to use our data and our infographics for any non-commercial purpose. Just be sure to link back to this page to give credit to the creators.