Artificial Intelligence and Unemployment: Impacts on Public Health

Artificial Intelligence and Unemployment: Impacts on Public Health

Mohamed Farouk Allam, MPH, PhD (1,2)

1. Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

2. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.

Authorea. November 13, 2025.

DOI: 10.22541/au.176281458.88689829/v2

Abstract

Extensive research has demonstrated a strong link between socioeconomic status, particularly employment and income, and public health outcomes. The accelerating reliance on AI technologies raises urgent questions about the future of work and its implications for public health. Will widespread automation lead to sustained unemployment and, ultimately, a public health crisis? Could AI contribute to a decline in mental well-being or erode the social value of human labour and intelligence? Are we approaching a future of “dark factories,” fully automated and devoid of human workers? These concerns are no longer speculative; they represent an unfolding reality that demands immediate policy attention. Without adaptive regulation, the convergence of automation and inequality may precipitate simultaneous crises in employment and health.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Public Health, employment, Chronic diseases, Human labour.

Mohamed Farouk Allam. Artificial Intelligence and Unemployment: Impacts on Public Health. Authorea. November 13, 2025.

https://www.authorea.com/users/318163/articles/1358223-artificial-intelligence-and-unemployment-impacts-on-public-health?commit=9283cc44dbd19d6ea3913e0426e8b958844eeccf