AI investment is boosting the economy more than consumer spending—for now

New data suggests the economy depends largely on the artificial intelligence sector, a worrisome sign for long-term overall growth.

Spending on AI infrastructure is now contributing more to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) growth than the entire consumer economy, according to new data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The comparison, which was posted to the social platform X by economist Heather Long on Monday, suggests that hype may not be the only thing propping up the high stock prices and valuations of artificial intelligence companies such as Nvidia and OpenAI.