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Submariner Smugglers Extradited From Colombia to Face International Cocaine Distribution Charges
BROOKLYN, New York, March 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York posted the following news release on March 27, 2026:* * *
Submariner Smugglers Extradited from Colombia to Face International Cocaine Distribution Charges
Defendants Allegedly Used Semi-Submersible Vessels to Traffic Tons of Cocaine from Colombia, Through the Pacific Ocean to Mexico, and Ultimately to the United States
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This afternoon, in federal court in Brooklyn, Elkin Armando Alomia Quinones, Luis Alberto Arboleda Escobar, Diego Luis Obregon Aguirre, Edwin Obregon Castro, Juan Matias Obregon ... Show Full Article BROOKLYN, New York, March 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York posted the following news release on March 27, 2026: * * * Submariner Smugglers Extradited from Colombia to Face International Cocaine Distribution Charges Defendants Allegedly Used Semi-Submersible Vessels to Traffic Tons of Cocaine from Colombia, Through the Pacific Ocean to Mexico, and Ultimately to the United States * This afternoon, in federal court in Brooklyn, Elkin Armando Alomia Quinones, Luis Alberto Arboleda Escobar, Diego Luis Obregon Aguirre, Edwin Obregon Castro, Juan Matias ObregonCastro, Rodrigo Obregon Saavedra and Narjel Paredes, all citizens of Colombia, will be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho on an indictment charging them with violations of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act and international cocaine distribution conspiracy. The seven defendants were extradited yesterday to the Eastern District of New York from Colombia where they were previously arrested in March 2025.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino III, Associate Chief of Operations, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Northeast Region, and Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York) announced the extraditions.
"As alleged, the defendants are members of a Colombian transnational maritime drug trafficking organization who sought to clandestinely traffic tons of cocaine on semi-submersible vessels to Mexico, ultimately for distribution in the United States," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "With these arrests and extraditions, the defendants' smuggling scheme has been sunk and holding them accountable in a U.S. courtroom demonstrates the Administration's resolve through Operation Take Back America and the Homeland Security Task Force to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from these evildoers."
Mr. Nocella praised the outstanding investigative work of DEA New York's Task Force, DEA Bogota and HSI New York's Homeland Security Task Force Cartel Investigations Group. Mr. Nocella also expressed his appreciation to Colombia's Cuerpo Tecnico de Investigacion, the Colombian Navy, DEA Puerto Rico, DEA Madrid, HSI Bogota and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico for their substantial assistance. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division's Office of the Judicial Attache in Bogota provided significant assistance in this matter.
"The extradition of these seven individuals underscores DEA's global pursuit to identify and target those responsible for trafficking illicit narcotics destined for the United States," stated DEA Northeast Regional Associate Chief of Operations Tarentino. "Using submersible vessels in a calculated attempt to evade law enforcement doesn't make you invisible! Whether you attempt to hide beneath the surface or above, the DEA, alongside our domestic and international partners, will relentlessly pursue and defeat those drug trafficking organizations threatening our communities and killing Americans."
"Today, seven alleged drug smugglers are facing charges in the United Stated after years of unchecked cocaine trafficking. Homeland Security Investigations' international footprint gives us the ability to track bad actors back to the source and, through our partnerships, bring them to justice," stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Alfonso. "These drugs have done untold damage to millions of families across the country. HSI works alongside our law enforcement partners every day to dismantle drug trafficking organizations and stop the flow of dangerous drugs into our communities."
According to the indictment and court filings, the defendants were members of an international drug trafficking organization (DTO) which conspired to traffic more than five tons of cocaine in self-propelled semi-submersible vessels, like submarines, launched from the Pacific coast of Colombia towards areas controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. The drug trafficking organization conducted a sophisticated maritime drug distribution operation, managing each step of the process. First, members of the conspiracy found investors to finance multi-ton cocaine loads and to finance the construction of semi-submersible vessels. Next, members of the conspiracy built semi-submersible vessels capable of carrying thousands of kilograms of cocaine. The trafficking organization also hired crew members to fill the semi-submersible vessels with cocaine and then transport the cocaine to Mexico. Members of the conspiracy also conducted countersurveillance on the high seas by strategically positioning fishing vessels on the same routes as the semi-submersible vessels. These countersurveillance ships attempted to spot military and law enforcement ships that might intercept the semi-submersible vessels.
On June 27 2023, the Colombian Navy seized approximately 2,312 kilograms of cocaine from a DTO semi-submersible vessel near the Colombian Pacific coast, which, based on a coordinate chart located aboard the vessel, was en route to Mexico (pictured below).
[View image in the link at bottom.]
On October 7, 2023, the Colombian Navy seized approximately 3,300 kilograms of cocaine from another DTO semi-submersible vessel near the Colombian Pacific coast, which was en route to Mexico (pictured below).
[View image in the link at bottom.]
The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes these organizations commit, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New York comprises agents and officers from the FBI; DEA New York; the New York City Police Department; IRS Criminal Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Secret Service; with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York leading this prosecution.
The government's case is being handled by the Office's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Lorena Michelen and Katherine P. Onyshko are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
ELKIN ARMANDO ALOMIA QUINONES
Age: 40
Colombia
LUIS ALBERTO ARBOLEDA ESCOBAR
Age: 53
Colombia
DIEGO LUIS OBREGON AGUIRRE
Age: 47
Colombia
EDWIN OBREGON CASTRO
Age: 41
Colombia
JUAN MATIAS OBREGON CASTRO
Age: 49
Colombia
RODRIGO OBREGON SAAVENDRA
Age: 69
Colombia
NARJEL PAREDES
Age: 56
Colombia
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-462 (EK)
View letter here: detention_letter.pdf (https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/media/1432976/dl?inline)
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/submariner-smugglers-extradited-colombia-face-international-cocaine-distribution
Reclamation Continues Sites Reservoir Project Public Negotiation Sessions
WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation issued the following news release on March 27, 2026:* * *
Reclamation continues Sites Reservoir Project public negotiation sessions
The Bureau of Reclamation today announces the continuation of public negotiation sessions with the Sites Project Authority for a Partnership Agreement for the proposed Sites Reservoir Project.
Reclamation and the Sites Project Authority are partnering on capacity interest in the project to construct a new 1.5 million acre-foot offstream reservoir approximately 10 miles west of Maxwell, ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation issued the following news release on March 27, 2026: * * * Reclamation continues Sites Reservoir Project public negotiation sessions The Bureau of Reclamation today announces the continuation of public negotiation sessions with the Sites Project Authority for a Partnership Agreement for the proposed Sites Reservoir Project. Reclamation and the Sites Project Authority are partnering on capacity interest in the project to construct a new 1.5 million acre-foot offstream reservoir approximately 10 miles west of Maxwell,CA for water storage, conveyance, and service. The agreement to be negotiated supports the reservoir project by outlining the terms and conditions to which each party must adhere.
The following negotiation session will be held in the Cottage Cafe Conference Rooms C1001-C1003, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, Calif. 95825:
* April 14, 2026 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
* April 15, 2026 - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To register and for more information, contact Jake Brannum, Repayment Specialist, CGB Regional Office, at jbrannum@usbr.gov.
The public is welcome to attend and will have the opportunity to provide comments regarding this contracting action. Participation instructions and the proposed contract will be available at each session.
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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits.
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Original text here: https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/news-release/5307
Interior IG: BLM Has Opportunities To Improve Its Helium Royalty Collection Program
WASHINGTON, March 28 (TNSLrpt) -- The Interior Inspector General issued the following report (No. 2025-ISP-013) on Feb. 12, 2026 entitled "BLM Has Opportunities To Improve Its Helium Royalty Collection Program."Here is the memorandum:
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To: William Groffy, Principal Deputy Director, Exercising the Delegated Authority of the Director, Bureau of Land Management
From: Nicki Miller, Assistant Inspector General for Audits, Inspections, and Evaluations
Subject: Final Inspection Report - BLM Has Opportunities To Improve Its Helium Royalty Collection Program Report No. 2025-ISP-013
This memorandum ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, March 28 (TNSLrpt) -- The Interior Inspector General issued the following report (No. 2025-ISP-013) on Feb. 12, 2026 entitled "BLM Has Opportunities To Improve Its Helium Royalty Collection Program." Here is the memorandum: * * * To: William Groffy, Principal Deputy Director, Exercising the Delegated Authority of the Director, Bureau of Land Management From: Nicki Miller, Assistant Inspector General for Audits, Inspections, and Evaluations Subject: Final Inspection Report - BLM Has Opportunities To Improve Its Helium Royalty Collection Program Report No. 2025-ISP-013 This memorandumtransmits our inspection report on the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) Federal Helium Program. Our objective was to determine if BLM identified, collected, and accounted for Federal Helium Program royalties. To answer our objective, we sought to determine: (1) whether BLM is able to identify and track helium-producing wells that are subject to royalty collection, (2) whether BLM has helium agreements in place1 with each helium company,2 (3) whether BLM collects and accurately records royalties, and (4) whether BLM is conducting sufficient oversight activities of program operations and helium companies. See Attachment 1 for our scope and methodology.
Although we determined that BLM generally accounted for helium royalties collected, we found that BLM did not always identify, track, collect, and properly oversee Federal Helium Program royalties. We identified $96,385 in inefficient oversight costs and $899,000 in lost revenue (classified as funds to be put to better use) for a total monetary impact of $995,385 from fiscal years (FYs) 2014 to 2024. BLM is tasked with ensuring that the Federal Government receives proper royalty payment for helium extracted from Federal lands. Royalties derived from the sale of Federal helium totaled nearly $166 million from FYs 2020 through 2024. Yet, after 30 years of operation, BLM has not created standard operating procedures to ensure that it is efficiently implementing and managing the program. Without identifying, tracking, collecting, and properly overseeing Federal Helium Program royalties or implementing standard operating procedures, BLM cannot ensure that the Federal Government--and thus the American public--is receiving full compensation for the helium resources extracted from Federal lands.
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The report is posted at: https://www.doioig.gov/reports/inspection/blm-has-opportunities-improve-its-helium-royalty-collection-program
First Exhibition to Explore Photography's Relationship With Resource Extraction Opening at the National Gallery of Art
WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The National Gallery of Art issued the following news release:* * *
First Exhibition to Explore Photography's Relationship with Resource Extraction Opening at the National Gallery of Art
Beneath the Surface to feature some 150 photographs by 100 artists spanning 185 years of society and industry in the United States
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The National Gallery of Art presents Beneath the Surface: Mining and American Photography, the first exhibition to exclusively examine the relationship between resource extraction and American photography throughout its history. Spanning nearly 200 years, ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The National Gallery of Art issued the following news release: * * * First Exhibition to Explore Photography's Relationship with Resource Extraction Opening at the National Gallery of Art Beneath the Surface to feature some 150 photographs by 100 artists spanning 185 years of society and industry in the United States * The National Gallery of Art presents Beneath the Surface: Mining and American Photography, the first exhibition to exclusively examine the relationship between resource extraction and American photography throughout its history. Spanning nearly 200 years,the exhibition examines how photographers have approached the challenge of capturing the significant but often hidden processes and impacts of the extraction of minerals, coal, and fossil fuels and its associated industries.
Featuring 150 photographs by more than 100 artists, including Richard Avedon, Walker Evans, Lewis Hine, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Dorothea Lange, David Maisel, Gordon Parks, Mitch Epstein, Carleton Watkins, Will Wilson, and more, Beneath the Surface reveals how generations of photographers have utilized evolving technologies and distinctive visual strategies to document the industries that power and shape modern life. Beneath the Surface will be on view at the National Gallery of Art from May 23 to August 23, 2026, before traveling to the Milwaukee Art Museum in Wisconsin and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas.
"As a defining visual medium of our modern age, photography is an essential tool to capture and communicate our shared history," said Kaywin Feldman, director of the National Gallery of Art. "Beneath the Surface bring together a dynamic range of works to shed light on the medium's intersections with a shaping force in American history and industry."
The featured works, many of which are drawn from the National Gallery's significant photography collection, span early daguerreotypes from the time of the California Gold Rush in the mid-1800s to pictures of rapid industrialization in the 20th century and contemporary photographs produced at an immense scale. This expansive selection traces the layered history of extraction and how artists have used photography as a lens through which to communicate the industry's relationship with society and the natural world.
"Photography itself is dependent on precious metals for its very existence, from the light sensitivity of silver in early processes to the copper of contemporary digital-camera batteries. At the same time, it has been the principal visual medium employed to depict extractive industries, evolving alongside the expansion of mining on an industrial scale since the 19th century," said Diane Waggoner, co-curator of the exhibition and curator of photographs at the National Gallery of Art. "Beneath the Surface unites photographs made for a variety of purposes, from explicitly promotional and commercial uses to documentation efforts and socially engaged activism, shedding light on both the rewards and costs of resource extraction."
The exhibition orients visitors with an introductory gallery displaying contemporary work, foregrounding themes relevant to the current moment and providing a critical framework for understanding the six broad, chronological sections that follow. Viewers will encounter works not only by historical photographers recognized for their work in capturing mining, drilling, and industrial subjects, such as Carleton Watkins, Margaret Bourke-White, Marion Post Wolcott, and Bernd and Hilla Becher, but also by less expected practitioners Florence Kemmler, Alma Lavenson, and Mary Morris. The exhibition includes works by contemporary photographers Edward Burtynsky, Binh Danh, Terry Evans, Victoria Sambunaris, and Cara Romero, among others.
"For almost two centuries photographers have played a central role in public understanding of resource extraction, drawing on a succession of technologies and strategies to capture activities that enable modern life but resist portrayal," said Kristen Gaylord, co-curator of the exhibition and Herzfeld Curator of Photography and Media Arts at Milwaukee Art Museum. "This exhibition demonstrates how, time and again, photographers have creatively pushed against the medium's boundaries in a quest to impart the enormity of the country's extractive activities and their effects."
Beneath the Surface centers on the challenges artists face in capturing the colossal scale of extraction and its far-reaching impacts on communities and the environment. It also reveals the inventive strategies they have employed to depict this subject. The works on view reflect the full breadth of the medium, spanning landscapes, portraits of workers and panoramas of affected communities, photobooks, aerial imagery, analog and digital collage, camera-less photography, historical processes, narrative and performance work, and pictures that otherwise harness photography to communicate the scope of these industries.
Exhibition Tour
National Gallery of Art, Washington, May 23-August 23, 2026
Milwaukee Art Museum, October 23, 2026-January 18, 2027
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, February 14-May 9, 2027
Exhibition Organization and Support
The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art in collaboration with the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
Major support for the exhibition has been provided by the Center for Contemporary Documentation.
The exhibition is also made possible through the leadership support of the Trellis Charitable Fund.
Additional support for this exhibition was provided by Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman and the Edwin L. Cox Exhibition Fund.
Exhibition Curators
This exhibition is curated by Diane Waggoner, acting head and curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art, and Kristen Gaylord, Herzfeld Curator of Photography and Media Arts, Milwaukee Art Museum.
In the Library: Photobooks and American Energy
In conjunction with Beneath the Surface: Mining and American Photography, the National Gallery of Art Library presents an installation of 25 books and 2 zines examining how photographers use photobooks to document the impact of energy extraction, production, and circulation on the American landscape and its communities.
The books and zines on view illustrate complex narratives about how America is powered today, revealing the visual strategies and design decisions contemporary photographers use to contextualize and share their work. In the library reading room adjacent to the exhibition area, additional photobooks are available for visitors to browse.
Curated by Yuri Long, special collections librarian at the National Gallery, this installation is on view from May 25 through August 21, 2026, in the East Building Library Atrium from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
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About the National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art welcomes all people to explore art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Millions of people come through its doors each year--with even more online--making it one of the most visited art museums in the world. The National Gallery's renowned collection includes over 160,000 works of art, from the ancient world to today. Admission to the West and East Buildings, Sculpture Garden, special exhibitions, and public programs is always free.
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Beneath the Surface: Mining and American Photography
National Gallery of Art, Washington, May 23-August 23, 2026
Milwaukee Art Museum, October 23, 2026-January 17, 2027
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, February 14-May 9, 2027
Dependent on precious metals from its inception, photography has always been intertwined with the natural resources that are fundamental to modern industrialized life. Beneath the Surface: Mining and American Photography is the first exhibition to exclusively examine how photographers from the mid-19th century to today have powerfully captured the effects of resource extraction on the land and communities of the United States. Featuring some 150 photographs that span 185 years, this exhibition focuses especially on the subterranean removal of the minerals and fossil fuels that power this country's economy and industry. Together, these works demonstrate how photographers have drawn on changing technology and unique visual strategies to rise to the challenge of picturing these colossal industries.
Made for a variety of purposes, ranging from commercial boosterism and celebration of technical advancement to social documentation and community activism, the pictures in the exhibition shed light on how photography has revealed the costs of extraction and who benefits from its success. Divided into six broad, chronological sections that contextualize the complex history of photography and extraction, from daguerreotypes of the Gold Rush to large-scale, immersive photographs made in the last decade, Beneath the Surface highlights how artists have used photography to explore the relationship between extraction, society, and the environment.
This exhibition is curated by Diane Waggoner, curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art, and Kristen Gaylord, Herzfeld Curator of Photography and Media Arts, Milwaukee Art Museum.
The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, in collaboration with the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
Major support for the exhibition has been provided by the Center for Contemporary Documentation.
The exhibition is also made possible through the leadership support of the Trellis Charitable Fund.
Additional support for this exhibition was provided by Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman.
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Original text here: https://www.nga.gov/press/first-exhibition-explore-photographys-relationship-resource-extraction-opening-national-gallery-art
Fed: AI Adoption and Firms' Job-Posting Behavior
WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The Federal Reserve issued the following Fed Notes article:* * *
AI Adoption and Firms' Job-Posting Behavior
Jessica Liu and Douglas Webber/1
Introduction
Since ChatGPT was launched in November 2022, usage of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has soared. More than half of the U.S. working-age population has used generative AI, according to the Real-Time Population Survey from August 2025 (Bick, Blandin, and Deming 2025). While usage outside of the workplace exceeds usage at work, usage at work is rapidly increasing as firms adopt AI (Bick, Blandin, and Deming ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The Federal Reserve issued the following Fed Notes article: * * * AI Adoption and Firms' Job-Posting Behavior Jessica Liu and Douglas Webber/1 Introduction Since ChatGPT was launched in November 2022, usage of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has soared. More than half of the U.S. working-age population has used generative AI, according to the Real-Time Population Survey from August 2025 (Bick, Blandin, and Deming 2025). While usage outside of the workplace exceeds usage at work, usage at work is rapidly increasing as firms adopt AI (Bick, Blandin, and Deming2025; Hartley et al. 2024; Hyman et al. 2025). Predictions about how AI will disrupt the labor market include automating and replacing some jobs, increasing worker productivity by augmenting certain tasks, and creating new occupations. Research on the current state of AI adoption and its impact on employment is still in the early stages, and long-term conclusions are difficult to formulate.
This note uses job postings data from Lightcast and the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey to investigate the relationship between AI adoption and firms' job-posting behavior. We find that thus far, there is no evidence of a reduction in job postings for industries or firms which have higher levels of AI adoption. The overall slowdown in national job postings following the pandemic recovery does not appear to be driven (even modestly) by AI. That said, we focus on the total level of job postings in firms and industries, rather than on specific occupations which may be particularly susceptible to automation via AI. Our results do not imply that there are no pockets of workers who are experiencing a disproportionately difficult job search due to the impact of AI. Rather, our results thus indicate that if there is a large negative impact on some occupations, thus far it has been balanced out by firms switching job postings to other hiring priorities. Moreover, the United States is still in a very early stage of AI development, so the lack of a significant labor market impact at this point is not particularly surprising. The empirical exercise in this note is therefore meant to be part of an active monitoring process for signs of labor market impacts in the months and years to come.
Literature Review
Firms are reporting rapid growth in AI adoption, and demand for AI skills continues to increase. Multiple firm-level surveys estimate that between 5 to 40 percent of firms have adopted AI (Crane, Green, and Soto 2025)./2 In the last decade, demand for skills related to AI has steadily risen (Acemoglu et al. 2022; Galeano, Hodge, and Ruder 2025). Since 2015, demand for AI skills has shifted from being highly concentrated in computer and mathematical occupations to covering a broader set of occupations. In 2024, nearly a quarter of all occupations demanded some AI skills (Mohnen and Lee 2024).
Research on the effect of AI on employment and wages varies. Hartley et al. (2024) find that generative AI exposure has little or no significant effect on total jobs or job postings, though AI-exposed occupations have statistically significant wage gains. Similarly, Acemoglu et al. (2022) observe no relationship between AI exposure and overall employment or wages at the industry- or occupation-level, but do find that AI-exposed establishments reduced hiring in non-AI positions. Brynjolfsson, Chandar, and Chen (2025) find entry-level employment declines in occupations where AI primarily automates work, but stable or growing employment for more experienced workers in the same occupations, and for workers in less AI-exposed fields. The New York Fed's regional business surveys show that very few firms reported AI-induced layoffs in the past year, though firms are expecting more layoffs and scaled-back hiring due to AI (Hyman et al. 2025).
Various studies indicate growing AI adoption among workers. U.S. workers are rapidly adopting generative AI tools such as large language models (LLMs), with 45.9% of one survey's respondents reporting LLM adoption at work in June/July 2025, up from 30.1% in December 2024 (Hartley et al. 2024). Other surveys of individual workers similarly report 20 to 40 percent of workers using AI in the workplace (Crane, Green, and Soto 2025). In one study on the effect of generative AI tools on worker productivity, Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond (2025) found that access to a generative AI-based chat assistant increased productivity, though with heterogeneity, among customer support agents. Regarding the exposure of different occupations to AI, Eloundou et al. (2024) estimate that 80% of U.S. workers are in occupations that could have at least 10% of their work tasks affected by LLMs, and 18.5% of workers could have over 50% of their tasks impacted.
Such significant technological shifts in the labor market raise the question of whether they will widen or reduce economic inequalities. Research shows that labor market inequalities exist by wage distribution (Autor, Dube, and McGrew 2023) and geography (Webber et al. 2025). A recent report analyzes the impact of generative AI on workers in lower-income households (Kneebone and Holmes 2025). Acemoglu (2025) does not find evidence of AI reducing inequality, instead suggesting AI may slightly increase inequality, and widen the gap between capital and labor income. However, AI adoption could also lead to positive economic and societal outcomes, as described in potential scenarios by Acemoglu and Restrepo (2020) and Autor (2024).
Data and Methodology
This note uses two data sources and two distinct sources of variation to investigate the relationship between AI adoption and firms' job-posting behavior. Job postings are drawn from the Lightcast (formerly Burning Glass) database, which catalogues job postings from more than 65,000 sources./3 This database functionally contains the universe of jobs which are posted online. While this makes comparisons over long periods of time difficult, as the composition of jobs posted online is likely different between different years, this is not a concern in the current study which uses only post-2022 data. Moreover, the data have been found to be representative of other sources when looking at occupation/industry representation (Hershbein and Kahn 2019).
The Lightcast database contains variables such as the occupation/industry of the posting, as well as information drawn from the text of the posting such as whether the job requires any prior experience with AI/Machine Learning (ML). Also of note for our study is a firm-identifier, allowing us to link job postings by the same firm over time. Despite the many advantages of the Lightcast database, one well-documented weakness is that postings frequently do not contain high-quality of information on wages (Batra, Michaud, and Mongey 2023), and thus we do not examine wages as an outcome in our study.
We use data from the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) as the primary source of information on the adoption of AI by industries. The BTOS has a sample of roughly 1.2 million businesses, each of which is surveyed every 12 weeks. The full sample is divided into six staggered panels, meaning that new data are released every two weeks.We use the proportion of respondents choosing "yes" to either of the following questions: 1) "In the past two weeks, did this business use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in producing goods or services? (Examples of AI: machine learning, natural language processing, virtual agents, voice recognition, etc.)," and 2) "During the next six months, do you think this business will be using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in producing goods or providing services? (Examples of AI: machine learning, natural language processing, virtual agents, voice recognition, etc.)." We run all models with both questions.
Empirical model:
We estimate models of the following form:
The dependent variable y denotes the number of new job postings in a given month for firm i at time t./4 We use two distinct sources of variation to measure AI adoption: 1) 3-digit NAICS industry-level variation in adoption, and 2) firm-level variation in adoption./5 Industry-level adoption is drawn from the BTOS, while firm-level variation is obtained directly from Lightcast, and is proxied by whether the firm has requested expertise with AI/machine learning in a prior job posting. Models were run separately with adoption lagged by 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. X is a set of firm characteristics which depend on the model being estimated: state and NAICS fixed-effects for the industry-level adoption models, and firm fixed-effects for the firm-level adoption models. Finally, a full set of year-by-month fixed effects accounts for both seasonality in posting behavior and macroeconomic conditions that affect the entire labor market. The timeframe for the results presented below is September 2023, the earliest date at which complete data from the BTOS is available, through November 2025. All results are robust to restricting the date to shorter and more recent dates. The Census Bureau updated the wording of the AI questions in November 2025, leading to a notable trend break in the time series for both questions, which is why we cut off our analysis at that date.6
Results
Table 1: Impact of Industry-Level AI Adoption on Future Job Postings
Table 1 presents results from separate regression models where the dependent variable is the natural log of job postings for a given firm and the treatment variable is the level of AI adoption at the 3-digit NAICS industry level. Four different lags are used for each AI adoption variable since the timeline of the transmission of AI adoption to a change in hiring practices is unclear.
The first thing to note is that the coefficients are generally positive, indicating that there is no evidence thus far that industries with higher levels of AI adoption are posting fewer jobs. Second, given the actual magnitudes of adoption (10 percent) and anticipated adoption (14 percent), the magnitudes of the coefficients are small once scaled appropriately. It is possible that industries which have a greater rate of AI adoption have increased hiring, either due to gains in productivity or because they are reaping the benefits of the AI investment boom (e.g. an industry is flush with cash and is expanding both in terms of AI capabilities and new hiring). But given the general lack of statistical significance of the coefficients in Table 1, the most likely effect currently is either zero or a very small positive effect.
Table 2: Effect of Firm-Level AI Adoption on Future Job Postings
Table 2 defines AI adoption in both a more direct and narrow way. In this set of models, adoption is defined at the firm level, with a firm being deemed to have adopted AI if either AI or Machine Learning was mentioned as a required skill in a prior job posting by the firm. This way of defining adoption is certainly the most targeted of all of our measures, as it uses a firm's own past labor-market behavior rather than industry-level survey responses. However, this way of defining AI adoption is likely unrepresentative of the typical firm's experience, as it indicates a particularly intensive form of AI use (many workers interact with AI without it appearing as required in their job description). In 2025, 5.5 percent of firms had an AI-related job posting, compared to 10 percent of BTOS respondents who indicated that their business had used AI/ML. The adoption measure is defined as the proportion of a firm's postings which request AI/ML experience, but results are qualitatively similar with other functional forms such as the number/log-number of postings.
This set of models is run on three different samples to examine heterogeneous effects: all firms, only those which have ever had an AI/ML job posting, and large firms (defined as having at least 300 job postings over the 2023-2025 sample timeframe). There is no evidence across the range of models that firm-level AI investment is having a negative impact on subsequent job-posting behavior.
Just as with the industry-exposure models, the magnitude of the firm-exposure coefficients is small when scaled appropriately by the degree of the mean of the treatment variable. It is important to remember that due to the large size of the Lightcast data, statistical significance is not a useful barometer of the importance of a given treatment. For all firms, the proportion of AI-related postings is only 1.6 percent, for firms which have ever had an AI-related posting the proportion is 8.6 percent, and for large firms it is 2.5 percent. In other words, an entirely causal interpretation (which to reiterate, is not our claim) of the top row of coefficients implies that in 2025 job postings increased between 0.04% and 0.13% due to AI adoption. We thus view the coefficients in Table 2 as precisely-estimated null effects.
Conclusion
Despite the recent boom in AI investment across the economy and fears that the technology will lead to widespread job losses, we find no evidence of negative impacts thus far on firms' job-posting behavior. We measure "exposure" to AI using both industry-level survey responses and firm-level job postings across a range of time periods, and the only statistically significant results point to a small positive relationship between AI exposure and job postings.
It is important to note that this is not likely a causal connection, more plausibly reflecting factors relating to the type of industry or firm that invests in AI. Instead, we view our results simply as evidence against the narrative that there has been AI-driven deterioration in the labor market up to this point in time. Moreover, this exercise is explicitly backward-looking, and does not imply anything about the relationship between AI and the labor market going forward, though we plan to monitor it on an ongoing basis.
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References
Acemoglu, Daron, David Autor, Jonathon Hazell, and Pascual Restrepo. "Artificial Intelligence and Jobs: Evidence from Online Vacancies." Journal of Labor Economics 40, no. S1 (April 2022): S293-340.
Acemoglu, Daron, and Pascual Restrepo. "The Wrong Kind of AI? Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Labour Demand." Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society 13, no. 1 (March 2020): 25-35. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsz022.
Autor, David. "Applying AI to Rebuild Middle Class Jobs (PDF)." National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 32140 (February 2024).
Autor, David, Arindrajit Dube, and Annie McGrew. "The Unexpected Compression: Competition at Work in the Low Wage Labor Market." National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 31010 (March 2023).
Batra, Honey, Amanda Michaud, and Simon Mongey. "Online Job Posts Contain Very Little Wage Information." National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 31984 (December 2023).
Bick, Alexander, Adam Blandin and David Deming. "The State of Generative AI Adoption in 2025," Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis On the Economy. November 13, 2025.
Bick, Alexander, Adam Blandin, and David Deming. "The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI." National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 32966 (September 2024).
Brynjolfsson, Erik, Bharat Chandar, and Ruyu Chen. "Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence (PDF)." Stanford Digital Economy Lab, August 2025.
Brynjolfsson, Erik, Danielle Li, and Lindsey Raymond. "Generative AI at Work." The Quarterly Journal of Economics 140, no. 2 (May 2025): 889-942. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjae044.
Crane, Leland, Michael Green, and Paul Soto. "Measuring AI Uptake in the Workplace." FEDS Notes, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. February 05, 2025.
Eloundou, Tyna, Sam Manning, Pamela Mishkin, and Daniel Rock. "GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs." Science 384, no. 6702 (June 2024): 1306-1308.
Galeano, Sergio, Nyerere Hodge, and Alexander Ruder. "By Degree(s): Measuring Employer Demand for AI Skills by Educational Requirements." Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Center for Workforce & Economic Opportunity Workforce Currents 2025-01. May 21, 2025.
Hartley, Jonathan, Filip Jolevski, Vitor Melo, and Brendan Moore. "The Labor Market Effects of Generative Artificial Intelligence." December 2024, revised September 2025. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5136877.
Hershbein, Brad, and Lisa B. Kahn. "Do Recessions Accelerate Routine-Biased Technological Change? Evidence from Vacancy Postings." American Economic Review 108, no. 7 (July 2018): 1737-1772.
Hyman, Ben, Jaison R. Abel, Natalia Emanuel, Nick Montalbano, and Richard Deitz. "Are Businesses Scaling Back Hiring Due to AI?" Liberty Street Economics, Federal Reserve Bank of New York. September 4, 2025.
Kneebone, Elizabeth and Natalie Holmes. "On-the-Job Exposure to AI Among Lower-Income Workers." Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Research Brief 2025-03. November 21, 2025.
Mohnen, Paul, and David Lee. "Recent Trends in the Demand for AI Skills." Policy Hub: Macroblog, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. October 15, 2024.
Webber, Douglas, Isabella Agnes, Jessica Liu, and Erin Troland. "Place-Based Labor Market Inequality." Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2025-040 (June 2025). Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
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1./ The views expressed are solely ours and do not necessarily reflect the views the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, or the Federal Reserve System. Return to text
2./ Crane, Green, and Soto (2025) note that the 5 percent lower-end estimate comes from BTOS which is firm-weighted and not employment-weighted. They note that if treating the other firm-level surveys as approximately employment-weighted, since they likely skew towards larger firms, then AI adoption estimates are generally around 20 to 40 percent. Return to text
3./ "Lightcast - a Global Leader in Labor Market Analytics." Lightcast. 2018. http://lightcast.io. Return to text
4./ All models were run with the natural log of job postings as the dependent variable, rather than the raw number of postings. The results are qualitatively identical regardless of the functional form of the dependent variable. Return to text
5./ All models were also run using state-level variation in AI adoption, but due to a lack of substantial variation across states, the results are too imprecise to be informative. Return to text
6./ On November 17, 2025, BTOS updated wording for the two AI questions to be: 1) "In the last two weeks, did this business use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in any of its business functions? (Examples of AI: machine learning, natural language processing, virtual agents, voice recognition, etc.)," and 2) "During the next six months, do you think this business will be using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in any of its business functions? (Examples of AI: machine learning, natural language processing, virtual agents, voice recognition, etc.)." With the updated wording, there is an upward level shift, so BTOS created a new time series for the AI questions beginning with data released on December 4, 2025. For more information: "BTOS AI Core Question Updates. (PDF)" U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Return to text
Please cite this note as:
Liu, Jessica, and Douglas Webber (2026). "AI Adoption and Firms Job-Posting Behavior," FEDS Notes. Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, March 27, 2026, https://doi.org/10.17016/2380-7172.4026.
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Disclaimer: FEDS Notes are articles in which Board staff offer their own views and present analysis on a range of topics in economics and finance. These articles are shorter and less technically oriented than FEDS Working Papers and IFDP papers.
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Original text here: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/ai-adoption-and-firms-job-posting-behavior-20260327.html
BLS: Projected Job Openings in Occupations Typically Requiring Some Postsecondary Education, 2024-34
WASHINGTON, March 28 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on March 27, 2026, from Economics Daily:* * *
Projected job openings in occupations typically requiring some postsecondary education, 2024-34
Of the more than 800 detailed occupations for which BLS develops employment projections, 106 typically require postsecondary education, but not a bachelor's degree, for entry. Specifically, 51 occupations typically require a postsecondary nondegree award, such as a certificate; 48 occupations typically require an associate's degree; ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, March 28 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on March 27, 2026, from Economics Daily: * * * Projected job openings in occupations typically requiring some postsecondary education, 2024-34 Of the more than 800 detailed occupations for which BLS develops employment projections, 106 typically require postsecondary education, but not a bachelor's degree, for entry. Specifically, 51 occupations typically require a postsecondary nondegree award, such as a certificate; 48 occupations typically require an associate's degree;and 7 occupations typically require some college but no degree. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/heavy-and-tractor-trailer-truck-drivers.htm) is projected to have 237,600 openings each year, on average, from 2024 to 2034, more than any other occupation at this level of education. It's helpful for these truck drivers to have good manual dexterity and other fine motor skills, as well as to be detail oriented and adaptable.
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Chart: Postsecondary education, but not a bachelor's degree to enter: Occupations projected to have the most openings each year, 2024-34
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The 10 occupations typically requiring postsecondary education, but not a bachelor's degree, that are projected to have the most job openings account for nearly 63 percent of openings projected in occupations at this level of education. In 2024, wages for 3 of these 10 occupations, as well as almost three-quarters of occupations at this level of education, were higher than the median of $49,500 for all occupations. (A median wage is the point at which half of workers made more than the amount, and half made less.)
These data are from the Employment Projections (https://www.bls.gov/emp/) program. For more information, see "Education level and projected openings, 2024-34 (https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2025/article/education-level-and-openings-2024-34.htm)" in Career Outlook (https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/home.htm).
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SUGGESTED CITATION
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Projected job openings in occupations typically requiring some postsecondary education, 2024-34 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/projected-job-openings-in-occupations-typically-requiring-some-postsecondary-education-2024-34.htm (visited March 28, 2026).
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/projected-job-openings-in-occupations-typically-requiring-some-postsecondary-education-2024-34.htm
Albuquerque Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Firearm Offenses
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, March 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico posted the following news release on March 27, 2026:* * *
Albuquerque Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Firearm Offenses
An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 220 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of narcotics in Albuquerque.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, beginning in August 2024, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Albuquerque Police Department Narcotics Unit investigated ... Show Full Article ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, March 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico posted the following news release on March 27, 2026: * * * Albuquerque Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Firearm Offenses An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 220 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of narcotics in Albuquerque. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court documents, beginning in August 2024, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Albuquerque Police Department Narcotics Unit investigatedQuontez Kuvinka, 26, and his fentanyl trafficking organization. The investigation identified Kuvinka as a source of supply who provided fentanyl and methamphetamine to a courier who, on multiple occasions in September 2024, sold the drugs to an undercover law enforcement officer. Kuvinka also personally sold fentanyl and cocaine to an undercover law enforcement officer during controlled purchases.
On October 8, 2024, agents conducting surveillance observed Kuvinka leave his residence and drive to a pre-arranged drug transaction location, where he was expected to supply narcotics for distribution. Law enforcement approached Kuvinka while he was seated in his vehicle, and he attempted to flee on foot before being taken into custody.
A subsequent search of Kuvinka's vehicle revealed approximately 442.6 grams of fentanyl (equivalent to roughly 4,400 pills), approximately 267.5 grams of methamphetamine, and approximately 7 grams of cocaine, along with drug trafficking paraphernalia. Officers also recovered eight firearms and ammunition from the vehicle, including multiple weapons equipped with machinegun conversion devices capable of converting semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons.
As a previously convicted felon, Kuvinka is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Kuvinka pleaded guilty to conspiracy, distribution of cocaine, two counts of distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Upon his release from prison, he will be subject to five years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, Special Agent in Charge Omar Arellano of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Chief of Police Cecily Barker of the Albuquerque Police Department made the announcement today. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico prosecuted the case.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Albuquerque Police Department.
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/albuquerque-man-sentenced-drug-trafficking-and-firearm-offenses