Economist · AI & Labor · Expert Witness
Jonathan Hersh, PhD is a tenured Associate Professor of Economics and Management Science at Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics, and an expert witness in technology litigation. He researches how artificial intelligence reshapes labor markets, productivity, and platform competition, and has published in Management Science, PNAS, MIS Quarterly, and NeurIPS.
I study how technology—especially artificial intelligence—reshapes work, productivity, and economic opportunity. I’m a tenured professor of economics and management science, a data scientist, and a consultant working at the intersection of AI, labor markets, and real-world decision-making. My work combines rigorous economic research with modern machine learning to understand how new technologies actually change behavior, outcomes, and incentives. My work begins with peer-reviewed research and extends into legal, policy, and public discourse.
I help legal teams quantify damages and explain AI/platform economics under scrutiny—and help journalists translate technical issues into clear stories.
Published In & Featured By
| Role | Associate Professor of Economics & Management Science (tenured) |
|---|---|
| Institution | Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University |
| PhD | Economics, Boston University |
| Prior degrees | University of Chicago; The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania |
| Published in | Management Science, PNAS, MIS Quarterly, NeurIPS, World Bank Economic Review, Communications of the ACM |
| Award | 2023 BBVA Foundation Award for Data Science and Big Data |
| Industry experience | Machine learning scientist at Workhelix; data scientist at the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank |
| Previously taught at | MIT and Wellesley College |
| Expert witness focus | AI training data and copyright, piracy and copyright enforcement damages, platform data and measurement, antitrust in digital markets |
| Testimony | Expert reports and deposition testimony |
| Initial case assessment | Typically 3–5 business days |
My research focuses on the economic impacts of technology, with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence, labor markets, and applied machine learning. I publish in peer-reviewed journals, work with large-scale administrative and behavioral data, and regularly collaborate with engineers, data scientists, and policymakers.
Review of Economic Research on Copyright Issues · 2025
Analyzes substitution between piracy and legal streaming after platform shutdown, with heterogeneous adoption effects by income.
Communications of the ACM · 2025
Argues that judicial website blocking — already used by Canada, the U.K., much of the E.U., Australia, Brazil, India, and South Korea — is the supply-side enforcement tool best suited to reducing online crime, because it requires neither arrests nor server seizures in foreign jurisdictions.
Explorations in Economic History · 2023
Estimates large historical welfare gains from imported consumption variety and changing food baskets in Europe.
Expert analysis and testimony in disputes involving AI systems, platform economics, API access, economic damages, and technology-driven market power. My opinions are grounded in methods accepted by courts and published in peer-reviewed journals.
My work and commentary have been featured by major media outlets, including NPR, where I’ve discussed how AI is changing work and economic opportunity.
Media & Press ResourcesArtificially Optimistic
AI will make the world better. Getting there will be messy. An economist and machine learning scientist writing honestly about work, displacement, and the human side of the AI economy.
Read on SubstackAI Proof Jobs
I’m currently working on a book focused on how artificial intelligence is transforming work—and what workers, firms, and policymakers can do to adapt. The book draws on economic research, real-world case studies, and hands-on experience working with AI systems in practice.
View Book PageFor expert witness matters, media inquiries, or academic collaboration. Conflicts check available upon request.
Request a ConsultJonathan Hersh is a tenured Associate Professor of Economics and Management Science at Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics. He is an economist and machine learning scientist who studies how artificial intelligence changes work, productivity, and market competition. He also serves as an expert witness in litigation involving AI systems, digital platforms, and technology-driven economic damages.
His research covers AI adoption and worker productivity, labor market adjustment to new technologies, platform and API economics, and economic measurement using machine learning and computer vision. He applies machine learning to unstructured data such as text, images, and satellite imagery to build predictive and causal models for settings where conventional data is scarce.
His work has appeared in Management Science, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), MIS Quarterly, NeurIPS, the World Bank Economic Review, the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Communications of the ACM, and Explorations in Economic History. In 2023 he received the BBVA Foundation Award for Best Contribution from Statistics and Operations Research Using Data Science and Big Data.
Yes. He is retained in disputes involving AI and algorithmic decision-making, antitrust and competition in digital markets, platform conduct and API access restrictions, and economic damages in technology cases. Engagements include expert reports, declarations, and deposition testimony. A confidentiality and conflicts review is completed at intake, and initial assessments are typically scoped within 3–5 business days.
He holds a PhD in Economics from Boston University, with prior degrees from the University of Chicago and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked as a machine learning scientist at Workhelix and as a data scientist for the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, and has taught at MIT and Wellesley College in addition to Chapman University.
Email hersh@chapman.edu or use the contact form on this site. He is available for interviews, background conversations, and rapid-response commentary on AI and labor markets, and for expert witness and consulting engagements. Press materials, bios, and headshots are available on the media page.
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