Where the Internet Lives The Era of AI Innovation
Jan 7, 2026
Andrew McAfee, a principal research scientist at MIT and author focusing on how digital technologies shape society, delves into AI’s transformative power. He draws parallels between the current AI boom and historical industrial revolutions, emphasizing how past breakthroughs redefined work and productivity. McAfee discusses the potential of AI to create new roles despite fears of job loss and highlights its promise to tackle critical issues like energy and disease. He offers an optimistic view of AI's future impact, suggesting we're just at the beginning of this transformation.
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AI As A General Purpose Technology
- AI meets the three hallmarks of a general purpose technology: rapid improvement, complementary innovations, and economy-wide spread.
- Andrew McAfee argues this makes AI as transformative as steam or electricity over coming decades.
AI Will Reshape Organizational Models
- Steam, railroads, and electrification reorganized work and enabled large professionally managed firms.
- McAfee expects AI to similarly reshape organizational models and the division of labor.
Riding In An Early Self-Driving Car
- Andrew McAfee recounts riding in an early Google self-driving car and feeling like he was in science fiction.
- The car handled stopping and merging, convincing him of AI's real-world capability.
