Wall Street Steadies After AI-Induced Sell-Off

Encouraging inflation data helps calm market jitters over AI disruption.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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U.S. stocks stabilized on Friday after an update on inflation helped ease Wall Street's concerns about the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technology on businesses. The S&P 500 index saw only a modest change, a day after suffering one of its worst losses since Thanksgiving, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose slightly and the Nasdaq Composite dipped.

Why it matters

The market volatility underscores growing unease among investors about how rapidly advancing AI capabilities could disrupt traditional business models and industries. This sell-off comes amid a broader debate about the societal and economic implications of AI as the technology becomes more powerful and ubiquitous.

The details

Stocks steadied after the latest inflation data provided some reassurance to investors worried about the potential fallout from AI. The S&P 500 index saw only a modest 0.1% change, a day after plunging in one of its worst losses since the Thanksgiving holiday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.2%.

  • The market turbulence occurred on Friday, February 13, 2026.

The players

S&P 500

A stock market index that tracks the performance of 500 large-cap U.S. publicly traded companies.

Dow Jones Industrial Average

A stock market index that tracks 30 large publicly traded companies.

Nasdaq Composite

A stock market index that tracks the performance of over 3,000 stocks listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, including many technology companies.

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The takeaway

The market volatility highlights the growing unease among investors about the disruptive potential of AI technology and the need for policymakers and business leaders to carefully navigate the societal and economic implications of these rapidly advancing capabilities.