AI Is America's Best Chance in a Generation to Revive 50 Years of Sluggish Productivity
ylecun · x · 2026-10-03
Investor Steven Rattner argues in a New York Times opinion piece (shared by Yann LeCun) that despite data-center moratoriums, job-loss fears, and safety concerns, the US needs AI to succeed.
- Outside the dot-com boom, productivity growth has been sluggish for 50 years, and only productivity—not a bigger workforce—raises per-capita incomes.
- Higher productivity growth gives nations room to redistribute wealth, reduce inequality, and fund public services.
- The essay uses six charts to contend AI is the best chance in a generation to reinvigorate a slow-growth economy.
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