Stanford launches GDP-B tracker to measure consumer surplus from generative AI
soumitrashukla9 · x · 2026-08-20
Stanford's Digital Economy Lab (David Nguyen, Erik Brynjolfsson and colleagues) launched GDP-B: Surplus Observer, tracking consumer surplus from generative AI tools over time. The motivation is a modern Solow paradox: despite rapid adoption of tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot, their benefits are not yet reflected in GDP or official productivity statistics. Traditional GDP uses prices as a proxy for value, missing free or cheapening services and unpaid work; GDP-B instead measures how much consumers benefit from goods and services, not just what they pay. The page will continuously update the data and its components.
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