Google expands AI & Economy Research Program with new experts

Google: Google is a leading technology company focused on search, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digital services that power consumer and enterprise applications worldwide. In this news, Google is expanding its AI & Economy Research Program by adding academic advisors, visiting fellows, and research directors to analyze AI's effects on labor, productivity, and global economic shifts. The company recently launched the AI & Economy ATLAS v1.0 platform to track real-world AI adoption patterns. Alex Imas: Alex Imas is Director of AGI Economics at Google DeepMind. He helps lead Google's AI & Economy Research Program alongside new directors Anu Madgavkar and Daniel Rock, as well as Zanna Iscenko. Imas supports integration of insights from empirical projects and frontier AI research. Daniel Rock: Daniel Rock is a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania specializing in AI and labor economics. He joins Google as a Director of the AI & Economy Research Program to bridge frontier model telemetry with econometrics for studying enterprise productivity, labor restructuring, and scientific discovery. Rock is an AI2050 Early Career Fellow and MIT Digital Fellow. David Autor: David Autor is a leading economist and head of MIT’s Department of Economics. He participates in Google's AI & Economy Research Program as a current Visiting Fellow and will collaborate with new fellow Ajay Agrawal on core research initiatives. His involvement supports the program's focus on empirical analysis of AI-driven economic transitions. Ajay Agrawal: Ajay Agrawal is the Geoffrey Taber Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and a Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. He joins Google's program as a Visiting Fellow to advance research on the economics of AI, scientific discovery, AI and robotics, and expanding the frontier of human welfare. Agrawal will work closely with existing fellow David Autor, head of MIT’s Department of Economics. Anu Madgavkar: Anu Madgavkar previously served as a Partner at the McKinsey Global Institute, where she led research on labor markets, technology adoption, and structural economic changes over two decades. She joins Google as a Director of the AI & Economy Research Program to lead empirical work on global AI diffusion, small business ecosystems, and workforce impacts of generative AI. Madgavkar has advised governments, multilateral institutions, and business leaders through contributions to the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. Zanna Iscenko: Zanna Iscenko serves as AI & Economy Lead in Google's Chief Economist's Office. She collaborates with the expanded research leadership team to steer empirical projects and integrate multidisciplinary findings. Iscenko contributes to the program's focus on AI adoption, workforce impacts, and policy frameworks. Michael Spence: Michael Spence is a Nobel Laureate in Economics who serves as an Academic Advisor to Google's AI & Economy Research Program. His participation helps guide the program's multidisciplinary efforts on AI-driven economic growth and innovation. Spence joins other prominent advisors including Philippe Aghion and Dame Diane Coyle. Philippe Aghion: Philippe Aghion is the 2025 Nobel Laureate in Economics and serves as the Kurt Björklund Chaired Professor at INSEAD and the Collège de France. He joins Google's AI & Economy Research Program as an Academic Advisor to apply his expertise in innovation-led growth and creative destruction toward modeling AI's long-term macroeconomic impacts. Aghion will collaborate with other Nobel laureates and scholars already advising the program. Dame Diane Coyle: Dame Diane Coyle is a professor at Cambridge University and serves as an Academic Advisor to Google's AI & Economy Research Program. She contributes expertise to the program's analysis of AI's macroeconomic trajectory alongside fellow Nobel laureates. Coyle helps steer advisory efforts on global technology diffusion and economic transitions. Data Platform: Google recently introduced the AI & Economy ATLAS v1.0 interactive site to examine how organizations and individuals are using AI tools in practice. Research Expansion: Google is broadening its AI & Economy Research Program through new academic advisors, visiting fellows, and dedicated directors to address AI's effects on work, productivity, and scientific discovery. Multidisciplinary Approach: The program emphasizes collaboration between industry, academia, and policymakers to develop insights on AI-driven economic transitions and shared prosperity.