US

AI and Productivity Growth

Question A:

Use of artificial intelligence over the next ten years will lead to a substantial increase in the growth rates of real per capita income in the US and Western Europe over the subsequent two decades.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Question B:

Use of artificial intelligence over the next ten years will have a substantially bigger impact on the growth rates of real per capita income in the US and Western Europe over the subsequent two decades than the internet has had over the past two decades.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Question A Participant Responses

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu
MIT
Uncertain
6
Bio/Vote History
Though breakthroughs in large language models are impressive and appear to be capable of increasing human productivity, there is no evidence that they can be effectively employed in production. Past applications have often disappointed. Current direction of AI is also distorted.
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Altonji
Joseph Altonji
Yale
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Auerbach
Alan Auerbach
Berkeley
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Autor
David Autor
MIT
Uncertain
6
Bio/Vote History
It may accelerate scientific breakthroughs, but it may also spur social chaos. Whether the productive outpaces the destructive is uncertain.
Banerjee
Abhijit Banerjee
MIT
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Bertrand
Marianne Bertrand
Chicago
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Brunnermeier
Markus Brunnermeier
Princeton
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Chetty
Raj Chetty
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Chevalier
Judith Chevalier
Yale
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Cutler
David Cutler
Harvard
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Deaton
Angus Deaton
Princeton
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Duffie
Darrell Duffie
Stanford
Agree
1
Bio/Vote History
Edlin
Aaron Edlin
Berkeley
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Eichengreen
Barry Eichengreen
Berkeley
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Between 2033 and 2053? That seems about right, given the adaptation lag historically to earlier general purpose technologies.
Einav
Liran Einav
Stanford
Agree
1
Bio/Vote History
Fair
Ray Fair
Yale
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Finkelstein
Amy Finkelstein
MIT Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Goldberg
Pinelopi Goldberg
Yale
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History
Greenstone
Michael Greenstone
University of Chicago
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Hall
Robert Hall
Stanford
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Hart
Oliver Hart
Harvard
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Holmström
Bengt Holmström
MIT
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Hoxby
Caroline Hoxby
Stanford
Uncertain
10
Bio/Vote History
I am confident that this is uncertain. AI substitutes for certain jobs and not for others, so a complex, General Equilibrium analysis is required. I have not so far seen any analysis that I would find convincing.
Hoynes
Hilary Hoynes
Berkeley
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Judd
Kenneth Judd
Stanford
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
AI should improve economic growth but adoption of new tech will be slow because people do not like change, loss of status, etc.
Kaplan
Steven Kaplan
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
AI will be helpful in many areas. But it will be fighting against the headwinds of many types of regulation as well as learning how to use it best. Net effect in next ten years is promising, but uncertain.
Kashyap
Anil Kashyap
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
2
Bio/Vote History
Klenow
Pete Klenow
Stanford
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Levin
Jonathan Levin
Stanford
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Maskin
Eric Maskin
Harvard
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
AI will most likely lead ultimately to a very substantial increase in growth rates----but that may take longer than 10 years.
Nordhaus
William Nordhaus
Yale
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Obstfeld
Maurice Obstfeld
Berkeley
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Saez
Emmanuel Saez
Berkeley
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Samuelson
Larry Samuelson
Yale
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Scheinkman
José Scheinkman
Columbia University
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
However (i) substantial effect on income inequality is probable and (ii) measurement of actual effect on growth will depend on improvements on treatment of "free" goods and quality changes..
Schmalensee
Richard Schmalensee
MIT
Uncertain
6
Bio/Vote History
Too early to know
Shapiro
Carl Shapiro
Berkeley
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Shimer
Robert Shimer
University of Chicago
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Stock
James Stock
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Thaler
Richard Thaler
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Seems unlikely but who knows?
Udry
Christopher Udry
Northwestern
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
...that or take over the world :) AI is a powerful tool that will help generate additional innovations. It will change many aspects of work.

Question B Participant Responses

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu
MIT
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
There is some uncertainty here as well. But in its current direction AI is an "inappropriate technology" for many emerging economies and may slow down their growth, as it seeks to substitutes capital and programming skills for middle and low skills.
Altonji
Joseph Altonji
Yale
Disagree
3
Bio/Vote History
Auerbach
Alan Auerbach
Berkeley
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Autor
David Autor
MIT
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
AI is potentially an even bigger deal than the Internet for industrialized countries (though not for the developing world). Whether this potential will generate faster growth rates is, in my mind, uncertain given the vast potential for ancillary harms.
Banerjee
Abhijit Banerjee
MIT
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Bertrand
Marianne Bertrand
Chicago
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Brunnermeier
Markus Brunnermeier
Princeton
Uncertain
8
Bio/Vote History
Chetty
Raj Chetty
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Chevalier
Judith Chevalier
Yale
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Cutler
David Cutler
Harvard
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Deaton
Angus Deaton
Princeton
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Duffie
Darrell Duffie
Stanford
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Edlin
Aaron Edlin
Berkeley
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Eichengreen
Barry Eichengreen
Berkeley
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Einav
Liran Einav
Stanford
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Fair
Ray Fair
Yale
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Finkelstein
Amy Finkelstein
MIT Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Goldberg
Pinelopi Goldberg
Yale
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History
Greenstone
Michael Greenstone
University of Chicago
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Hall
Robert Hall
Stanford
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Hart
Oliver Hart
Harvard
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Holmström
Bengt Holmström
MIT
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Hoxby
Caroline Hoxby
Stanford
Uncertain
10
Bio/Vote History
Hoynes
Hilary Hoynes
Berkeley
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Judd
Kenneth Judd
Stanford
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
AI will directly improve measured growth because it will economize on use of inputs. Impact of internet (e.g. Facebook, Google) is less clear and more difficult to measure.
Kaplan
Steven Kaplan
Chicago Booth
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Kashyap
Anil Kashyap
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Klenow
Pete Klenow
Stanford
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Levin
Jonathan Levin
Stanford
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Maskin
Eric Maskin
Harvard
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Same explanation as before
Nordhaus
William Nordhaus
Yale
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Obstfeld
Maurice Obstfeld
Berkeley
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Saez
Emmanuel Saez
Berkeley
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Samuelson
Larry Samuelson
Yale
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
The contribution will be large but the comparison is not easy to make at this point.
Scheinkman
José Scheinkman
Columbia University
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Schmalensee
Richard Schmalensee
MIT
Uncertain
6
Bio/Vote History
Too early to know
Shapiro
Carl Shapiro
Berkeley
Disagree
2
Bio/Vote History
Shimer
Robert Shimer
University of Chicago
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Stock
James Stock
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Thaler
Richard Thaler
Chicago Booth
Disagree
1
Bio/Vote History
If Internet plus smart phone did not move the needle why should we expect this to do so?
Udry
Christopher Udry
Northwestern
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History