- Nationality
- United States
- Life
- 1962 – present
- Roles
- economist
- academic
- author
Erik Brynjolfsson is an economist at MIT's Sloan School of Management and co-director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. He is best known for his research on how information technology affects productivity, employment, and income inequality. His work examines the "productivity paradox" and the relationship between technological advancement and wage stagnation.
Brynjolfsson has authored or co-authored several influential books, including "The Second Machine Age" (with Andrew McAfee), which argues that digital technology is fundamentally reshaping the economy and labor market. He has also written extensively on AI's economic implications, automation's effects on employment, and the need for policy responses to technological disruption.
He is a prominent voice in debates about technology's societal impact, frequently contributing to public discourse through op-eds, interviews, and speaking engagements. His research combines econometric analysis with broader economic theory to understand how digital transformation affects workers, firms, and society.
Erik Brynjolfsson is an MIT economist specializing in the economic impact of information technology and artificial intelligence. He co-directs MIT's Initiative on the Digital Economy and has become a leading public intellectual on technology's effects on work and inequality. His research and popular books have shaped contemporary debates about automation, productivity, and the future of employment.
Last updated 31 August 2026