Kevin Warsh, whose broad criticism of current U.S. Federal Reserve officials, playbook for rate cuts and ties to President Donald Trump elevated him past other contenders to lead the central bank, will be sworn in as Fed leader Friday at a pivotal moment for monetary policy and the American economy.
An unfolding boom in artificial intelligence technology is reshaping the economy in ways Fed officials say could be profound for workers, companies and consumers, but will be hard for Warsh and his colleagues to assess in real time. At the same moment inflation is already high and potentially heading higher as the economy copes with shocks including oil driven over $100 a barrel by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, high import tariffs and utility and some other costs rising due to the AI rollout.