Fed’s Williams Quips Economist Jobs Are Safe as AI Shift Unfolds

The implications of artificial intelligence gripped global central bankers in Iceland this week, with one Federal Reserve official joking that it won’t put economists out of business.

The program of the conference that ended on Friday in Reykjavik didn’t even mention the technology, but time and again, policymakers returned to musing about how it will affect labor markets, productivity and inflation, for better and for worse.

“The demand for macro economists will still be vibrant,” said New York Fed President John Williams, sparking laughter from an audience that, during the two-day event, included chiefs from the Bank of ...