AI boom dominates Reuters NEXT as executives eye productivity gains but warn of job and energy risks

Summary

At the Reuters NEXT conference in New York, business and government leaders described AI as the biggest technological upheaval since the internet, crediting it with trillions in investment and a major boost to GDP growth while also warning about job displacement and energy‑hungry data centers. Speakers from companies including Writer, Moderna and Cisco said customers are already using AI to slow headcount growth and rethink workforce planning, even as economists and policymakers urged a focus on AI as a complement to labor rather than a replacement. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/ais-rise-stirs-excitement-sparks-job-worries-2025-12-04/))