PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Simon Johnson

Simon Johnson is an MIT economist whose work asks how technology and AI shape work, economic power, and shared prosperity. He studied at Oxford, Manchester, and MIT, held academic posts at Harvard, Duke, and MIT, and served as chief economist and director of the IMF Research Department from 2007 to 2008. In 2023, he co-authored Power and Progress with Daron Acemoglu on AI and who benefits from technology; in 2024, he shared the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Acemoglu and James A. Robinson for research on institutions and prosperity. As of October 2026, he is chair of the UK’s AI Economics Institute and a professor at MIT Sloan.

Now at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and AI Economics Institute
Born
1963
Works
445

Years link to their sources. Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026. Citations and h-index are hidden because this OpenAlex record may be incomplete or mix in other authors.

Timeline

  1. 1963–1989

    Sheffield to MIT

    Born in Sheffield in 1963, he studies politics, philosophy, and economics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and graduates in 1984. He earns an MA in economics at Manchester and a PhD in economics at MIT in 1989.

  2. 1989–2002

    Harvard, Duke, and MIT

    He holds a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard from 1989 to 1991 and serves as junior faculty at Duke from 1991 to 1996. In 1997, he joins MIT’s faculty and earns tenure in 2002.

  3. 2007–2008

    Leading IMF research

    From 2007 to 2008, he serves as chief economist and director of the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund.

  4. 2010–2019

    Books on banking and growth

    With James Kwak, he coauthors 13 Bankers in 2010, a book about the financial crisis. In 2019, he coauthors Jump-Starting America with Jonathan Gruber, making the case for public investment in science to support growth and jobs.

  5. 2023

    Power and Progress on AI

    In 2023, he coauthors Power and Progress with Daron Acemoglu. The book asks who benefits from technology and whether AI’s economic gains will be broadly shared.

  6. 2024

    A shared Nobel Prize

    He shares the 2024 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences with Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.

  7. December 2025–February 2026

    AI Ambassador and pro-worker AI

    In December 2025, the UK names him an AI Ambassador to support technology applications that boost productivity and shared prosperity. In February 2026, he coauthors the Brookings essay “Building pro-worker AI” with Daron Acemoglu and David Autor, arguing that AI can expand worker capabilities and expertise.

  8. As of October 2026

    Chairing the AI Economics Institute

    In June 2026, the UK names him chair of its AI Economics Institute, which will assess AI’s effects on productivity, labor markets, and growth. As of October 2026, he is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship and head of Global Economics and Management at MIT Sloan.

Career

  1. Since 2026AI Economics InstituteChair
  2. NowMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyRonald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship; Head of Global Economics and Management
  3. 2007–2008International Monetary FundChief Economist; Director of the Research Department
  4. 1991–1996Duke UniversityJunior Faculty
  5. 1989–1991Harvard UniversityPostdoctoral Fellow

Education

  1. 1989Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyPhD in economics
  2. 1984Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford
  3. University of ManchesterMA in economics

From the biography.

  1. Of 216 AI researchers who entered public life, 83 held advisory seats and 58 took public rolesIncludes Simon Johnson. Of 216 AI researchers who entered public life, 83 held advisory seats and 58 took public roles. Another 97 people moved from public careers into AI organizations or research, with 62% of dated records starting from 2020 on.
  2. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  3. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  4. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Includes Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI each year from 1955 to 2025, tracing the shift from university labs to companies.

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 Simon Johnson yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. CV - Simon Johnson | Lindau Mediatheque mediatheque.lindau-nobel.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Simon Johnson | MIT Sloan mitsloan.mit.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Twenty faculty members awarded tenure by Corporation | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology news.mit.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. ‘Failure is good’ | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology news.mit.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Jump-starting the economy with science | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology news.mit.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. An AI challenge only humans can solve | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology news.mit.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. The Prize in Economic Sciences 2024: They have helped us understand differences in prosperity between nations kva.se. Checked 20 October 2026.
  8. Building pro-worker AI | Brookings brookings.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  9. Introducing the AI Economics Institute | GOV.UK gov.uk. Checked 20 October 2026.