The dark side of AI weighs on the stock market

A washout in the stocks of software companies has been flowing through Wall Street this week, as investors realized the threat that artificial intelligence will displace businesses had arrived.

While the prospect of AI disruptions has hung over the economy for years, a new set of tools released this week by a San Francisco startup forced a sudden reckoning on Wall Street.

Software companies most at risk from the new tools were the hardest hit, as well as the investment funds that lend to these companies.