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The Atlantic ·Future-gazing

The Man Who Saw AI Coming

by Annie Lowrey

Published 2026-06-29 07:31:00-04:00

How do you recognize a revolution when the data says that progress has stalled?

0:00 / 20:19 · Narrator Sulafat

Context

Published on 29 June 2026, this profile follows Erik Brynjolfsson, an economist who spent decades betting on a digital revolution that many of his peers insisted had stalled. As AI finally moves from theoretical curiosity to a daily tool, the focus shifts from whether the technology works to how it actually shows up in the economy. The piece considers the gap between the speed of code and the slower, messier reality of how human institutions and labor markets adapt to sudden change.

Show notes

A profile of Stanford economist Erik Brynjolfsson and his decades-long study of how digital technologies reshape economic productivity. Brynjolfsson’s optimistic forecasts for artificial intelligence are weighed against the skepticism of stagnationist peers, drawing on his current research into labor displacement and firm efficiency. The analysis also examines the historical productivity paradox of computing and the social risks posed by the concentration of algorithmic power.

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