AI has disrupted entry-level white-collar employment, but blue-collar workers are still looking for clues on how the tech will shape the essential economy going forward.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said it’s too early to know just how AI may help or hurt essential workers —those working in sectors like manufacturing, skilled trades, and infrastructure.

“I hope that it will be a help, but it’s hard to say that today,” he said on Bloomberg TV’s Wall Street Week on Friday.

AI investments in data center construction and transmission lines will bring “tailwinds” for the essential economy since the buildout will require support from construction workers, plumbers, electricians, and other blue-collar workers, Farley said.

A recent report from the ALFA Institute found that $100 billion in AI dat

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