Instead of reforming programs, they'd create new ones -- including one resembling a deeply flawed pandemic program riddled with fraud. terovesalainen - stock.adobe.com

Behind the scenes in Washington, many policymakers are planning for an economic disruption: potential job displacement caused by AI.

Yet some act like today’s safety net doesn’t exist, despite the massive $1.2 trillion a year in federal funds spent on 90-plus means-tested programs.

Instead of reforming programs, they’d create new ones — including one resembling a deeply flawed pandemic program riddled with fraud.

We have to do better than that.

A New York Times article warning that “the federal safety net isn’t ready” for the potential shock of “widespread job losses” attributable to AI is a good example of such misguided thinking.

And it’s consistent with widespread fear-mongering about “AI’s potential to wipe out jobs, eradicate privacy and possibly even endanger humanity.”

Despite such apocalyptic rhetoric, the extent of AI-driven…