Lex Fridman Podcast

#141 – Erik Brynjolfsson: Economics of AI, Social Networks, and Technology

Nov 25, 2020

Erik Brynjolfsson, a Stanford economist and director of the Digital Economy Lab, dives into the fascinating economics of AI and technology's societal impacts. He discusses exponential growth, emphasizing how it's reshaping our future and the disconnect between human perception and technological pace. The conversation also tackles autonomous vehicles, the evolving landscape of digital media revenue, and the responsibilities of tech developers in combating misinformation. Brynjolfsson shares insights on the future of work and income inequality, stressing the balance between innovation and human involvement.

01:45:28

Creator website

Episode guests

Erik Brynjolfsson

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

The Power of Connection

6min

Understanding Exponential Growth

14min

Navigating the Future of Autonomous Vehicles

16min

Understanding Revenue Models in Digital Media

4min

Navigating Truth in the Digital Age

15min

Navigating the Future of AI and Society

27min

Pandemic Shifts: The Future of Work

14min

Influential Books: A Journey Through Philosophy, Economics, and Personal Growth

3min

10.

The Search for Meaning: Happiness Beyond Pleasure

4min

Erik Brynjolfsson is an economist at Stanford. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Erik’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikbryn
Erik’s Website: https://www.brynjolfsson.com/
The Second Machine Age (book): https://amzn.to/33f1Pk2
Machine, Platform, Crowd (book): https://amzn.to/3miJZ76

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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(08:23) – Exponential growth
(12:51) – Elon Musk exponential thinking
(15:08) – Moore’s law is a series of revolutions
(20:31) – GPT-3
(22:09) – Autonomous vehicles
(29:11) – Electricity
(33:40) – Productivity
(38:47) – Why is Twitter and Facebook free?
(49:03) – Dismantling the nature of truth
(52:24) – Nutpicking and Cancel Culture
(58:39) – How will AI change our world
(1:04:40) – Existential threats
(1:06:33) – AI and the nature of work
(1:12:39) – Thoughts on Andrew Yang and UBI
(1:18:30) – Economics of innovation
(1:24:37) – Effect of COVID on the economy
(1:33:50) – MIT and Stanford
(1:38:23) – Book recommendations
(1:41:28) – Meaning of life