Research

  • The Policy Challenge of Artificial Intelligence

    James Bessen

    Across all major sectors of the economy, proprietary information technology is increasing the market dominance of large firms, which is evidence of a slowdown in the spread of technical knowledge throughout the economy. The result is rising industry concentration, slower productivity growth and growing wage inequality. The key challenge to IP and antitrust policy will be counter this trend yet maintain innovation incentives. Read More →

  • Is Automation Labor-Displacing? Productivity Growth, Employment, and the Labor Share

    David Autor and Anna Salomons

    While many technological innovations replace workers with machines, what effect does that have on overall employment and productivity? This paper explores automation's impact on total employment and aggregate demand. Read More →

  • Patent Policy and American Innovation after eBay: An Empirical Examination

    Timothy Simcoe and Filippo Mezzanotti

    After the Supreme Court ruled that courts should not automatically enter injunctions against patent infringers, some commentators feared that the decision would hinder innovation and growth in the U.S. More than ten years later, this paper examines the data to see whether those fears came true. Read More →

  • AI and the Economy

    Robert Seamans and Jason Furman

    Is artificial intelligence (AI) having a large effect on the economy?  A variety of statistics—including robotics shipments, AI startups, and patent counts—show a large increase in AI-related activity.  AI and robotics also have the potential to increase productivity growth but may cause labor market upheaval. This paper explores some strategies and policies for dealing with this upheaval. Read More →

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