Ethan Mollick: with AI advancing fast, some hard research is better left for later
emollick · x · 2026-09-09
Ethan Mollick revisits his 'Wait Calculation' idea: in mathematics and biology, models now in development are likely to make serious gains on hard problems, with or without human help — so you may save time by simply not doing the work for a few months.
The concept comes from his Jan 2024 essay: with today's rockets, a trip to Barnard's Star takes 12,000 years, but a future fusion drive would take under 50 — so waiting beats departing early. AI, improving faster than exponentially, fits the same pattern for decade-long computational problems. The idea also features in his upcoming book.
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