Bridgewater Warns AI Could Disrupt 18% of US Workforce, Risk Social Disorder

Bridgewater Associates estimates artificial intelligence could affect 18% of the US labor force if deployed without adequate regulation, CEO Nir Bar Dea said in an interview published October 1, 2026, warning of potential social disorder. "You think about the level of social disorder that could cause," Bar Dea said, adding that the hedge fund remains bullish on AI's benefits while acknowledging severe risks from technologies that reshape the world. His warning follows similar cautions from Bridgewater co-CIO Greg Jensen, an early OpenAI and Anthropic backer, who compared current AI attitudes to early-pandemic complacency. Billionaire investor Paul Tudor Jones likened the threat to "waiting for a Category 6 hurricane." Bridgewater, which manages roughly $100 billion, raised nearly $2 billion in 2024 for an AI-driven fund blending machine-generated insights with human risk management. Bar Dea said the fund has outperformed the market and produced views distinct from its human traders. The firm's two main funds remain closed to new investors, with billions returned to clients in recent years.