Foreign Affairs essay: AI is an 'invention of a method of invention' worth Industrial Revolution plus Enlightenment
sebkrier · x · 2026-10-22
Alex Imas, Mohamed El-Erian, and James Manyika publish a new Foreign Affairs essay arguing AI is more than a general-purpose technology — it is an 'invention of a method of invention' (IMI), like the microscope or scientific method, carrying potential equal to the Industrial Revolution and Enlightenment combined.
- Realizing this promise is a coordination problem requiring infrastructure buildout, deep economic adoption, and buy-in from many groups.
- The authors draw on cooperative game theory to outline a narrow but feasible path toward collective good.
- They warn AI could also be applied in ways that deepen inequality without deliberate choices.
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