FRANKFURT, March 4 (Reuters) - Artificial intelligence adoption by firms may be creating jobs in the euro zone rather than destroying them, according to a European Central Bank blog post. While economists debate AI's impact on white-collar work, the ECB's Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises found that companies making significant use of AI are more likely to hire additional staff in the near term.

This finding contrasts with a recent German Ifo Institute study showing that over a quarter of German firms expect AI to lead to job cuts within five years. The ECB's research suggests AI-intensive firms tend to hire rather than fire, with companies planning AI investments also showing positive expectations for future employment growth. The blog, written by two ECB staff economists, argues this trend holds regardless of planned investment levels.

However, the authors caution that the outlook may change over longer horizons. Most pessimistic surveys cover extended timeframes, and the employment impact could shift once AI significantly transforms production processes. The blog post emphasizes that these findings represent the authors' views rather than official ECB positions.