There are many concerning reports that say artificial intelligence will replace traditional jobs and take work away from humans, and while that is true, a report shows AI is also creating jobs in the D.C. region.
Job postings for AI-related positions in the D.C. metro area have more than tripled in the last five years, and the D.C. area now ranks No. 2, behind only the San Francisco Bay Area for them, according to a recent report from Mid-Atlantic research and real estate firm JLL.
About half of those AI job openings require government security clearances, driven by the abundance of tech jobs in the government contracting industry.
AI is also swelling demand for government lobbying organizations and the legal and administrative jobs they create, the report said. The number of entities lobbying on issues related to AI has grown from single digits in 2013 to more than 160 now.
“AI policy touches just about every industry, and we think that will continue moving forward as regulation picks up,” said Michael Hartnett, senior director of JLL. “Topics really range from copyright law to healthcare policy and banking policy and even national security.”
Artificial intelligence is also having an impact on the demand for commercial real estate in the D.C. region.
“Increased lobby efforts in AI could create more real estate demand in downtown D.C., especially with those government affairs tenants,” Hartnett said. “If you think about AI development, it also calls for more and better data centers. That’s a real win for this region, as it is already home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world.”
Government spending on artificial intelligence research and development is at an all-time high — the budget has more than doubled in the past five years.
President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget request includes $1.8 billion for AI and machine learning initiatives.
