A new study from economists at the CESifo research institute in Munich challenges the idea that artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly harming the employment prospects of recent college graduates. Researchers found no strong evidence that AI has led to widespread job losses or a noticeable decline in hiring for young graduates, either in absolute numbers or when compared to other groups. The study, titled The First Impacts of AI on the Employment of Recent Graduates, focused on the summer of 2026, a time when unemployment rates typically peak for new graduates entering the job market. The researchers compared this period with previous years and found that the unemployment rate among recent graduates in 2026 was 7.3%, which fell within the historical range of 6.3% in 2022 to 7.8% in 2024. This suggests that the situation for young graduates was not unusually dire compared to past years. The study examined data from the "Current Population Survey," a major U.S. census survey, focusing on individuals aged 22 to 25 with bachelor's degrees who were not continuing their education. Researchers compared these graduates to their non-graduated peers of the same age and to older graduates aged 30 to 49. They also classified jobs based on their potential exposure to AI, using a 2023 study that identified which jobs are most suitable for AI systems. Most of the comparisons showed no statistically significant differences in employment trends between the groups from 2022 to 2026. The researchers concluded that the unemployment rate among young graduates in the summer of 2026 was not abnormally high compared to previous summers for all the studied groups. Despite these findings, concerns remain about the long-term effects of AI on the job market. Some experts argue that the impact of AI may not be fully visible yet, and that the current trends do not guarantee future performance. The study's authors warned that if AI adoption continues to grow, future graduate classes could face more significant challenges. This conclusion contrasts with a recent Stanford University study, which found a delay in access to entry-level positions in AI-affected fields. The Stanford research relied on salary data from the ADP human resources firm, which covers a different sample of the economy and tracks job offers rather than overall job demand. Meanwhile, data from the New York Federal Reserve shows that the unemployment rate among recent graduates aged 22 to 27 with at least a bachelor's degree was 5.7% in June 2026, which is higher than the overall labor force's unemployment rate of 4.1%. Current students are also feeling the impact of the changing job market; 9.8% have already changed fields due to economic pressures. Young graduates report that AI is already influencing hiring in their sectors, though the CESifo study found no strong evidence of a significant increase in unemployment for this group compared to previous years.