There are lots of economic opportunities coming thanks to gains in artificial intelligence, the White House said in a report today, but that same report warns that millions of jobs could be displaced while the technology improves. Artificial intelligence, the report notes, accelerates trends seen since the industrial revolution, as people lose jobs to automation and are forced to learn new skills to find new career paths. How fast we'll see those impacts is the question. The report notes that researchers' estimates about jobs threatened ranges widely from 9 to 47 percent, and notes that because "AI is not a single technology, but rather a collection of technologies that are applied to specific tasks, the effects of AI will be unevenly felt throughout the economy." That said, the general assessment is that the jobs hardest hit are those that are more easily automated, which disproportionately impacts people with less educational attainment.

The White House National Science and Technology Council released a report on the future of artificial intelligence Wednesday that predicted regulatory challenges, future job losses, more capable U.S. cyber-defenses and little chance of a Terminator-esque super-intelligent computer apocalypse. "If computers could exert control over many critical systems, the result could be havoc, with humans no longer in control of their destiny at its best and extinct at its worst," the report, titled "Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence" said. "This scenario has long been the subject of science fiction series, and recent pronouncements from some influential industry leaders have highlighted these fears." The report was likely referencing comments from Microsoft founder Bill Gates, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and Tesla CEO Elon Musk--and, for what it's worth, several Arnold Schwarzenegger-led dystopian films--warning of the dangers of AI. But the NSTC, a Cabinet-level group that coordinates science and tech policy, held "a more positive view" of AI's future, with the technology's systems serving as "helpers, assistants, trainers and teammates of humans."