PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Erik Brynjolfsson

Erik Brynjolfsson is an economist who studies how generative AI changes work and employment. He earned Harvard degrees in 1984, and he served on the MIT faculty from 1990 to 2020. With Andrew McAfee, he published The Second Machine Age in 2014, and in 2015 Thinkers50 gave them the top prize in the Digital Thinkers category. In 2020 he joined Stanford as director of the Digital Economy Lab, and in 2023 he and his co-authors released the working paper Generative AI at Work. As of October 2026, he directs that lab and holds the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki professorship at Stanford HAI.

Timeline

  1. 1984–1991

    Degrees from Harvard and MIT

    He earns a Harvard A.B. and an M.S. in applied mathematics and decision sciences in 1984. He completes a PhD in managerial economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1991.

  2. 1990–2020

    Professor at MIT Sloan

    He serves on the MIT faculty from 1990 to 2020, as a professor at the Sloan School of Management and director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy.

  3. 2014

    The Second Machine Age

    With Andrew McAfee, he publishes The Second Machine Age in 2014.

  4. November 2015

    A Thinkers50 top prize

    In November 2015, he and Andrew McAfee win the top prize in the Digital Thinkers category at the Thinkers50 gala.

  5. 2020

    Joining Stanford's Digital Economy Lab

    He joins Stanford in 2020 as a senior fellow at HAI and as director of the Digital Economy Lab.

  6. April 2023

    Generative AI at Work

    In April 2023, he and co-authors Danielle Li and Lindsey R. Raymond issue the working paper Generative AI at Work, on the potential of new AI tools to change how workers perform and learn.

  7. August 2025

    Canaries in the Coal Mine

    In August 2025, he and co-authors Bharat Chandar and Ruyu Chen first document an employment gap for young workers in highly AI-exposed occupations.

  8. As of October 2026

    Directing the Digital Economy Lab

    He directs the Stanford Digital Economy Lab at HAI and holds the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki professorship.

Sources and credits

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  1. Erik Brynjolfsson - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Erik Brynjolfsson - Thinkers50 thinkers50.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Erik Brynjolfsson's Profile | Stanford Profiles profiles.stanford.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Generative AI at Work | NBER nber.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. No Widespread Displacement, but the AI Employment Gap for Young Workers Has Widened to 19% - Stanford Digital Economy Lab digitaleconomy.stanford.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. Erik Brynjolfsson - Stanford Digital Economy Lab digitaleconomy.stanford.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.