Why AI productivity lags: the Productivity J-Curve paper on intangible complementary investments
robseamans · x · 2026-08-25
Erik Brynjolfsson, Daniel Rock and Chad Syverson resurface their 2021 AEJ: Macroeconomics paper "The Productivity J-Curve". Core argument: general-purpose technologies like AI enable and require significant complementary investments, often intangible and poorly measured in national accounts. This delays measurable productivity gains in early years and leads to later catch-up—the J-curve pattern.
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