Neil Thompson

Our new substack post: Can Academic Science Keep Up with the AI Frontier? mitfuturetech.substack.com/p/can-academic…

MIT researchers @ProfNeilT and @davidautor joined the @csail_alliances podcast to talk about why AI’s impact on jobs hinges less on automation and more on how well the technology is designed to work with humans. bit.ly/4rJhlhb

Very interesting new paper AI and Scale: A Quantitative Task-Based Theory of Automation by @DanialLashkari @li_wensu C. Qiu and @ProfNeilT which takes serious the role of scale in driving AI performance and capabilities and, hence, firm adoption. Applied to the context of computer-vision automation, they find firm-level adoption follows a classic S-curve, rising from under 1% of firms in 2023 to nearly 1/4 by 2035 (>50% if employment-weighted)

Beyond job displacement, this is the real shift. AI doesn’t just automate work, it reshapes where expertise matters. As @davidautor and @ProfNeilT note, when machines handle the predictable, value moves to judgment and creativity. That’s what most “AI-first” strategies miss. #AI

Beyond Job Displacement: How AI Could Reshape the Value of Human Expertise digitalistpapers.com/vol2/autorthom… ✍️ @davidautor @ProfNeilT via "The Digitalist Papers Volume 2" @DigEconLab 👉 "How will transformative AI reshape the world of work? It will not simply eliminate jobs; it will reshape the value of human expertise. This new framework can help us think through very different scenarios, from gradual automation to complete human labor obsolescence—and how we can prepare for them" 💡 “We remain optimistic that humanity is not converging rapidly to the end of labor scarcity, but we recognize that a risky technological and economic transition is already underway—one with vast upside benefits and vast downside risks that will land unevenly on individuals, demographic groups, nations, and generations” @Corix_JC @jeanyvesgonin @sonu_monika @JagersbergKnut @ahier @sim010101 @maponi @EstelaMandela @Shi4Tech @CEO_Aisoma @SpirosMargaris @dinisguarda @RamonaEid @AstridLavalette @ChuckDBrooks @FernandaKellner @mvollmer1 @PVynckier @JoannMoretti @NeiraOsci @tlloydjones @SusanHayes_ @theomitsa @smoothsale @TarakRindani @FrRonconi @Nicochan33 @mikeflache @Khulood_Almani @TysonLester @CurieuxExplorer @Ym78200 @amalmerzouk @smaksked @sulefati7 @pchamard @Analytics_699 @MaryRich78 @Eli_Krumova @TheAIObserverX @NathaliaLeHen @sminaev2015 @jeancayeux @WillyRayNick @DanielleLargier @RLDI_Lamy

@MITSloan's FutureTech is hiring a pre-doc to work w/ Prof. Thompson (@ProfNeilT) on topics related to AI Progress and Timelines; AI and Science; Future of Work; Market Structure and Firm Performance bit.ly/4inn5tp

Our new paper shows how AI foundation models are being adopted in science. Growth is rapid, but uneven. The AI models being used are old and underpowered, so there is still lots of room to make science more productive! @MITFutureTech @MIT_CSAIL @mit_ide arxiv.org/abs/2511.21739

This is tonight! Come hear from @davidautor and @ProfNeilT about how AI will affect jobs - and bring your questions. MIT Museum - 6-7pm!

Our new paper breaks down algorithm progress in AI (which is faster than GPU progress). Surprisingly, much of the gains have only gone to the largest models, which is bad news for AI efficiency improvement. @MITFutureTech arxiv.org/abs/2511.21622

This week, Jensen Huang argued that "everybody's jobs will be different" because of AI. What will that mean for your job? I'll talk with @davidautor and @ProfNeilT on Dec 2 at @MITMuseum. Come join us! cap.csail.mit.edu/members/events…

#NDTVWorldSummit | "We have seen chaos in AI" : Neil Thompson (@ProfNeilT), Director, FutureTech Research Project, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab notes the "chaos" that can entail in the future of AI #NDTVWorldSummit2025

#NDTVWorldSummit | "AI is a big departure from traditional AI systems" : Neil Thompson (@ProfNeilT), Director, FutureTech Research Project, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab #NDTVWorldSummit2025

#NDTVWorldSummit | What is AI's garden arranging path? Neil Thompson (@ProfNeilT), Director, FutureTech Research Project, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab explains #NDTVWorldSummit2025

#NDTVWorldSummit | Neil Thompson (@ProfNeilT), Director, FutureTech Research Project, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab shares his views with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) on India’s technology adoption and AI progress @rahulkanwal @VishnuNDTV #NDTVWorldSummit2025

#NDTVWorldSummit | What should give us comfort about AI? Neil Thompson (@ProfNeilT), Director, FutureTech Research Project, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab explains @ShivAroor #NDTVWorldSummit2025

#NDTVWorldSummit | "The most important part is scaling up, and the second most important part has been algorithm improvement" : Neil Thompson (@ProfNeilT), Director, FutureTech Research Project, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab @ShivAroor #NDTVWorldSummit2025

#NDTVWorldSummit2025 | "Smarter AI systems can more easily bypass controls. AI's lack of capabilities has prevented us from having too much chaos. But these capabilities are improving rapidly": Neil Thompson, Director, FutureTech Research Project, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab @ProfNeilT

#NDTVWorldSummit | Neil Thompson (@ProfNeilT), Director, FutureTech Research Project, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab on India’s role on path ahead for global AI @ShivAroor #NDTVWorldSummit2025

#NDTVWorldSummit | Has AI guided Neil Thompson (@ProfNeilT), Director, FutureTech Research Project, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab through Delhi traffic? He answers @aayush_a6 #NDTVWorldSummit2025

#NDTVWorldSummit2025 | Can AI Lead To Nightmarish Scenarios? Neil Thompson, Director, FutureTech Research Project, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, On What Can Go Wrong @ProfNeilT @shivaroor