Economics of Transformative AI →
Revolutionizing economics to harness the full potential of advanced AI.
About
The Stanford Digital Economy Lab is shaping a future where technology drives human well-being and shared prosperity.
One of the greatest challenges of our time is adapting our economy and society to harness the benefits of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. The Stanford Digital Economy Lab gathers researchers from economics, computer science, policy, and beyond to tackle this challenge. We believe in human agency—that people have the power to shape beneficial outcomes from technological change.
Our focus is on ensuring that as machines become more capable, humans become more empowered, not displaced. Drawing on Stanford’s world-class resources and a network of global collaborators across disciplines, we’re uniquely positioned to capture the complete economic picture of technological transformation. Through our research, we’re creating the frameworks needed to harness innovation. We believe that augmenting human potential with technological tools will unlock the greatest gains for everyone.
Our work
We conduct rigorous research that helps companies, policymakers, and communities navigate technological change. Our work spans four key areas that address the most pressing economic questions of the digital age.
Digital Platforms and Society →
Building foundations for pro-social human behavior and AI-empowered organizations.
New Measures of the Economy →
New tools and metrics for an AI-driven economy that supports shared prosperity.
AI Agents →
Artificial intelligence for serving individual, community, and societal values.
Our Story
2020
Professor Erik Brynjolfsson founded the Stanford Digital Economy Lab in 2020 as part of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). A leading authority on the economics of information, Erik saw Stanford as an opportunity to expand his pioneering research on AI’s transformative effects on society and the economy from the epicenter of the technological revolution.
2020
When COVID left businesses, schools, and public spaces empty, we saw our workplace dynamics completely rewritten. The Lab explored remote work and the rapid transformation of business and social interaction, investigating what changes would endure and how organizations and workers could adapt.
2021
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is often inadequate for measuring economic well-being, especially given the impact of emerging technologies like (often free) digital goods and services. We began developing the GDP-B Index (“B” for “Benefits”) to provide new metrics that enable better management of our modern economy.
2023
Stanford joined the Project Liberty Institute under founder Frank McCourt. The ongoing collaboration shapes technical, ethical, and governance infrastructure of emerging technology in order to promote democracy and foster responsible technology on the Internet.
2024
Inspired by the Federalist Papers, The Digitalist Papers reflects our ongoing mission of promoting diverse perspectives on the AI revolution. Our popular first volume, with 12 essays written by 19 authors, focused on how artificial intelligence may alter our society and democracy.
2025
With Canaries in the Coal Mine, the Lab delivered some of the earliest and most comprehensive evidence of AI’s impact on the American labor market. The study came after years of collaboration with ADP, including the monthly publication of the National Employment Report.
Sebastian Steffen
Digital Fellow
I most enjoy the thought-provoking interactions with other scholars. The exchange of and collaboration on new ideas is ultimately exciting and S-DEL provides an environment that supports truly frontier research and innovation.
Leadership
Erik Brynjolfsson is one of the world’s leading experts on the economics of technology and artificial intelligence. He is the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Professor and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI), and Director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. He also is the Ralph Landau Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), Professor by Courtesy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Department of Economics, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
One of the most-cited authors on the economics of information, Brynjolfsson was among the first researchers to measure productivity contributions of IT and the complementary role of organizational capital and other intangibles.
Read moreAlex “Sandy” Pentland is HAI Center Fellow and faculty lead for digital society at Stanford HAI and Digital Economy Lab. He is Toshiba Professor at MIT, member of US National Academies, Advisor to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Lab, and formerly advisory board member at UN Secretary General’s office, Google, ATT, Telefonica, and elsewhere. Spin-off companies and open source systems from his lab manage authentication of most digital transactions in the world, media for roughly 1B people in far east, and health resources for roughly 0.5B people in the indopacific. His current focus is on problems and opportunities in using AI to improve our social institutions.
Read moreChristie Ko is a leader in the field of academic research on AI and the digital economy. As the Executive Director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, Christie is at the forefront of guiding the Lab’s planning, strategy, and program development. Her commitment to building diverse, multi-disciplinary, impact-oriented research programs drives the Lab’s groundbreaking research on the economic and social implications of AI
Read moreSusan Young leads strategic initiatives at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, working closely with faculty, researchers, and other stakeholders on projects focused on the economics of artificial intelligence and the future of work. Her work centers on shaping and guiding the Lab’s priorities and collaborations — including interdisciplinary research agendas, educational programs, and public-facing essay volumes such as The Digitalist Papers — that move ambitious ideas from concept to real-world impact.
Susan holds an MA in international relations from New York University and a BA in political science from the University of Chicago.
Read more
Our Advisory Group includes leading innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and policymakers, all with a deep interest in how technology is shaping the economy.
See who’s driving progress toward a better digital economy.
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The Stanford Digital Economy Lab relies on support from individual donors, industry, and foundations, to advance our mission and have impact.
AI Safety Tactical Opportunities Fund
Dieter Schwarz Foundation
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Good Ventures Foundation
King Center for Global Development
National Science Foundation
Open Philanthropy
Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
Project Liberty Institute
Russell Sage Foundation
Schmidt Futures
Smith Richardson Foundation
SOMO
Survival and Flourishing Fund
American Express
Accenture
Automatic Data Processing
AXA
Capgemini SE
Deepmind Technologies
Google
Hanwha Life
IBM
Infosys
Itaū
KPMG
LVMH
McKinsey & Company
Microsoft
Pepsico
PwC
SAP
SCBx
TCV
Wells Fargo & Company
Corporations support the Stanford Digital Economy Lab through several mechanisms: the HAI Membership program, the DEL Corporate Affiliate Program, sponsored research, charitable donations, and in-kind contributions.
Allen Blue
Brian Kahin
Jason Liu
Jake Reynolds
Jeff and Liesl Wilke
Work with us
The Stanford Digital Economy Lab’s greatest assets are its people. Post-doctoral fellows, research assistants, staff, and academic visitors, make our research possible. We love to work with individuals from all backgrounds and areas of expertise who share our vision for a digital economy that benefits everyone.
Whether you’re seeking a staff position, research role, or visiting engagement, we invite you to explore the many ways you could become a part of our growing community.
Contact us
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General inquiries
digitaleconomylab@stanford.edu -
Corporate affiliate inquiries
Christie Ko
christieko@stanford.edu -
Gift inquiries
Christopher Haight
ckhaight@stanford.edu -
Press & Media inquiries
Matty Smith
mattys@stanford.edu