Economics of Artificial Intelligence: Economic Perspectives on AI in China
The 10th annual NBER Economics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference will be held on September 23–24, 2026 in Toronto. The conference, which is made possible by the generous support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, will showcase research on a broad range of AI-related issues. It will be co-organized by NBER researchers Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, and Avi Goldfarb of the University of Toronto, and Catherine Tucker of MIT.
This year’s conference will focus on the economics of AI with a particular focus on the creation, use, and regulation of AI in China and a comparison between China and the rest of the world. Research topics that may be examined at the conference include, but are not limited to:
- Comparisons of AI application and diffusion in China and other countries
- Differential AI impact on the labor market
- Productivity impact of AI
- AI and government policy
- AI and trade
- The adoption and diffusion of AI
- AI and inequality
- Macroeconomic impact of AI
- System-level changes from AI
- The regulation of AI
- Privacy and security of AI
- AI and the economics of national security
- The use of AI to improve decision-making
- Market design with AI
Original research papers, as well as overviews that offer a research agenda, may be presented. Please share this information with colleagues who may have a paper suitable for the program. Papers by researchers with and without NBER affiliations and by early career scholars are welcome. To be considered for inclusion on the program, completed papers must be uploaded by 11:59pm (EDT) on June 4, 2026 via the following link:
Please do not submit papers that have been accepted for publication and that will be published by September 2026. Authors chosen to present papers will be notified in early July 2026. All co-authors will be invited to participate in the conference.
Questions about the submission process or conference planning may be addressed to confer@nber.org; questions about the subject matter of the meeting may be addressed to avi.goldfarb@rotman.utoronto.ca.