Big Tech is recruiting economists to explain AI’s impact

The Financial Times reports that major tech companies are increasingly recruiting economists to study how AI is changing work and the wider economy. The appeal is straightforward: these businesses see detailed evidence on how their tools are used, while economists can turn it into a clearer account of whether AI is raising productivity, reshaping jobs, or doing both. That research could inform business decisions and public debate at a time when hard evidence lags bold predictions. But it also creates an awkward test of credibility: the companies building and selling AI are becoming employers of some of the people assessing its social effects, so transparency and researchers’ freedom to publish matter as much as the findings themselves.