Writing
Artificially Optimistic
Artificially Optimistic is a newsletter by Jonathan Hersh, PhD, an economist and machine learning scientist at Chapman University. It covers how artificial intelligence is changing work, which jobs and tasks are most exposed, and what the economic evidence actually shows — written for readers who want analysis rather than hype.
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 SubstackWhat the newsletter covers
- How AI adoption reallocates tasks within jobs, and which roles absorb the change
- What productivity studies do and do not establish about AI at work
- Platform and API economics, and why access disputes keep reaching courts
- Labor market evidence on who gains and who is displaced
- Practical guidance for workers and firms adapting to AI
Peer-reviewed research
The newsletter draws on published work in Management Science, PNAS, MIS Quarterly, and NeurIPS. Each paper has a page with its abstract and citation.
Browse researchThe book
AI-Proof Jobs: Future-Proof Your Career with Skills AI Can’t Replace develops these arguments at length for workers, firms, and policymakers.
About the book