Nobel laureate Shiller: AI doom narratives could become a self-fulfilling economic prophecy
IgorCarron · x · 2026-10-06
Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller argues in a NYT op-ed that AI's biggest economic risk may be the fear around it rather than the technology itself. A recent poll finds 70% of Americans believe AI will reduce job opportunities, with warnings amplified by tech leaders. Drawing on his narrative economics framework, Shiller explains how negative stories shape decisions on housing, education, and even having children—and how mass pessimism can make doom a self-fulfilling prophecy. He even suggests narrative-driven automation panic may have contributed to the Great Depression more than is recognized.
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