AI Is Set to Widen Income Gaps, Rewarding Those Already Earning the Most

A new report by the Financial Times in partnership with Focaldata suggests that artificial intelligence is not flattening the workplace as many expected. If anything, it is reinforcing the very divides it was supposed to disrupt. 

Based on a survey of 4,000 workers across the US and UK, the findings show a sharp imbalance in who is actually using AI. More than 60 per cent of high earners report using AI tools daily, compared with just 16 per cent of lower-income workers. The implication is straightforward: those already ahead are gaining even more leverage from the technology. 

According to Daron Acemoglu, this outcome challenges the popular narrative around AI as a democratising force. He notes that effective use of these tools often requires a level of education, technical familiarity and abstract thinking that not all workers have access to. In his words, “the rhetoric out there is that the tools are going to be democratising,” but in reality, the barrier to meaningful use remains high. He adds a more direct warning: “AI is going to increase inequality between labour and capital… it is setting us up for a… shitshow.” 

What is perhaps more surprising is who is adopting AI fastest. The data suggests it is not the youngest workers, but those in their thirties with more experience and longer tenure. Ronni Chatterji says this aligns with what the company is seeing internally, where AI tends to complement existing expertise rather than replace it. In practice, this means experienced workers are using AI to amplify their output, not level the field for newcomers.