Chicago Fed’s Goolsbee Warns AI Inflation Is Spreading Beyond Data Centers

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee warned that inflation tied to the AI boom is “jumping out of its lane” and starting to push up prices in unrelated corners of the economy.

Speaking on Semafor’s Compound Interest, he stated, “Prices are going up in spaces that are not just components in data centers and the directly adjacent industries.” He expressed increasing nervousness that this represents “straight, old-fashioned overheating demand.”

While these spikes have not yet hit consumer pain points like groceries or haircuts, economists are watching how AI-generated wealth is being spent. Goolsbee will join the FOMC voting group in 2027 but is not currently a member of the committee that sets interest rates.

This contrasts with Fed Governor Lisa Cook’s recent view that AI demand appears to be a shift within sectors rather than an economy-wide increase, suggesting rate hikes might be inappropriate for such sector-specific inflation.