Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller warned that widespread fear of artificial intelligence eliminating jobs could worsen economic damage on top of any real job losses AI creates, writing in The New York Times on Monday that narrative-driven anxiety amplifies the threat. He cited a March Quinnipoll poll finding 70% of Americans believe AI will reduce jobs, while a Pew Research survey showed only 16% expect AI to benefit society over the next two decades. Shiller singled out Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who told Axios last May that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs and drive unemployment to 20% within five years, up from the current rate of 4.3%. Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang called that forecast “ridiculous,” and Sen. Bernie Sanders warned on X that AI and robotics could wipe out millions of jobs. Apollo Global Management Inc. chief economist Torsten Slok pushed back in a June blog post, citing “zero evidence” of AI-related job losses. Shiller argued that tech leaders promoting worst-case scenarios risk tipping consumer sentiment into a contraction.