The AI boom is driving the economy; what happens if it falters?

In Nevada, a summer of weak international tourism has stunted hiring and weakened the local economy. But a data-center construction boom tied to the fast-growing artificial intelligence industry has helped to soften the blow.

In the Washington, DC, area, federal job cuts and the longest government shutdown on record have threatened to push the regional economy into a recession. But there, too, AI-related investments are helping to offset the damage.

And in North Dakota, low oil prices have idled drilling rigs and dented state revenues, but AI data…