PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Avi Goldfarb

Avi Goldfarb is an economist who explains how AI prediction changes business decisions and labor. He earned economics degrees at Queen’s University and Northwestern, and his online advertising research won an INFORMS award. With Ajay Agrawal and Joshua Gans, he co-authored Prediction Machines (2018) and Power and Prediction (2022), and he examined how AI could make uncertainty visible in refugee claim decisions. As of October 2026, he is Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare, Professor of Marketing, and Director of Partnerships at the Sandra Rotman Centre for Health Sector Strategy.

Now at
University of Toronto, Sandra Rotman Centre for Health Sector Strategy, Creative Destruction Lab, Acceleration Consortium and National Bureau of Economic Research
Works
250
Citations
19,697
h-index
59
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 18 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1997–2002

    Studying economics

    He earns a B.A. in economics from Queen’s University in 1997 and a PhD in economics from Northwestern University in 2002.

  2. 2018

    An online advertising award

    His online display advertising paper with Catherine Tucker receives the 2018 INFORMS Long Term Impact Award.

  3. 2018

    Prediction Machines

    With Ajay Agrawal and Joshua Gans, he co-authors Prediction Machines in 2018, explaining how cheaper AI prediction changes the value of human judgment and action.

  4. 2019

    AI prediction and labor

    With Ajay Agrawal and Joshua Gans, he explains in a 2019 NBER paper how automating prediction can affect labor, distinguishing automated decisions from AI that helps people decide.

  5. 2020

    AI and refugee claims

    With Hilary Evans Cameron, he explores in 2020 how machine learning could make uncertainty visible to refugee claim decision-makers.

  6. 2022

    Power and Prediction

    With Ajay Agrawal and Joshua Gans, he publishes Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence in 2022, examining how AI prediction affects business decisions.

  7. As of October 2026

    AI and management judgment

    In September 2026, he co-authors a Rotman article arguing that management becomes more important as AI improves. As of October 2026, he is Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare, Professor of Marketing, and Director of Partnerships at the Sandra Rotman Centre for Health Sector Strategy. He also serves as Chief Data Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab, research lead at the Acceleration Consortium, and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Career

  1. Since 2021Creative Destruction LabChief Data Scientist
  2. Since 2002University of TorontoRotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare
  3. Since 2002National Bureau of Economic ResearchResearch Associate
  4. NowSandra Rotman Centre for Health Sector StrategyDirector of Partnerships
  5. NowAcceleration ConsortiumResearch Lead
  6. 2013–2017University of California, Berkeley
  7. 2002–2009Carnegie Mellon University

Education

  1. 2002Northwestern UniversityPhD in economics
  2. 1997Queen's UniversityB.A. in economics

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Digital Economics2019 · Journal of Economic Literature · 2,690 citations
  2. Crowdfunding: Geography, Social Networks, and the Timing of Investment Decisions2015 · Journal of Economics & Management Strategy · 1,020 citations
  3. Some Simple Economics of Crowdfunding2014 · Innovation Policy and the Economy · 901 citations
  4. Online Display Advertising: Targeting and Obtrusiveness2011 · Marketing Science · 815 citations
  5. The Geography of Crowdfunding2011 · 730 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 18 October 2026.

  1. Stanford University trained or employed 27 of the 111 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Toronto. Stanford University trained or employed 27 of the 111 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and employment links for major-prize and best-paper winners.
  2. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Toronto. Our estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.
  3. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes University of Toronto. Our estimates of combined and median h-index at AI organizations, using current affiliations and OpenAlex records.
  4. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers rose from 3% to 32%Includes University of Toronto. We estimate where leading AI researchers worked when their most-cited papers appeared. The company share rose from 3% in 1975–1979 to 32% in 2020–2024.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Avi Goldfarb yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Avi Goldfarb | HCEO hceconomics.uchicago.edu. Checked 18 October 2026.
  2. Research by Rotman School Marketing faculty honored for long term impact eurekalert.org. Checked 18 October 2026.
  3. Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics Of Artificial Intelligence insightshub.rotman.utoronto.ca. Checked 18 October 2026.
  4. Artificial Intelligence: The Ambiguous Labor Market Impact of Automating Prediction | NBER nber.org. Checked 18 October 2026.
  5. 'Making uncertainty visible': U of T researcher says AI could help avoid improper denial of refugee claims | University of Toronto utoronto.ca. Checked 18 October 2026.
  6. Books — AVI GOLDFARB avigoldfarb.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  7. Books — AVI GOLDFARB avigoldfarb.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  8. introduction | Rotman School | University of Toronto rotman.utoronto.ca. Checked 18 October 2026.
  9. Goldfarb Avi | Rotman School | University of Toronto rotman.utoronto.ca. Checked 18 October 2026.