~marginalrevolution | Bookmarks (566)

Jensen: “First thing to understand: 50% of the world’s AI researchers are Chinese.” Here is the link. The post China estimate of the day appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.      Related StoriesI am not the only one writing for the AIsDept. of Why Not?In defense of an online life 

1. Which are the best policies for longevity science? 2. House committee wants to strip antitrust enforcement powers from the FTC. 3. Rewrite HUD regulations using AI. 4. Ridiculous claims about New Hampshire. 5. The indifference engine. 6. Takacs Quartet at age fifty (NYT). The post Friday assorted links appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.         CommentsIn reply to mento. Longevity drugs have a very...

White House officials have in recent weeks brainstormed strategies for enshrining into law the government cuts implemented by billionaire Elon Musk’s team, aiming to turn the U.S. DOGE Service’s moves into lasting policy shifts. So far, however, administration officials are running into resistance not just from Democrats, but also from congressional Republicans, who have in […] The post We are solving for the equilibrium...

We present evidence on how generative AI changes the work patterns of knowledge workers using data from a 6-month-long, cross-industry, randomized field experiment. Half of the 6,000 workers in the study received access to a generative AI tool integrated into the applications they already used for emails, document creation, and meetings. We find that access […] The post AI and time allocation appeared first...

Creative powerhouse VML, genomic innovators The Organoid Company, and sustainable biotechnology firm Lab-Grown Leather have joined forces to develop the world’s first T-Rex leather made using the extinct creature’s DNA… “This project is a remarkable example of how we can harness cutting-edge genome and protein engineering to create entirely new materials. By reconstructing and optimizing […] The post Markets in everything appeared first on...

A Moscow-based disinformation network named “Pravda” — the Russian word for “truth” —  is pursuing an ambitious strategy by deliberately infiltrating the retrieved data of artificial intelligence chatbots, publishing false claims and propaganda for the purpose of affecting the responses of AI models on topics in the news rather than by targeting human readers, NewsGuard […] The post I am not the only one...

1. Mario Rizzo LSE talk on behavioral economics. 2. Pendant. 3. Noah Smith on libertarianism. 4. More AI geoguessing. 5. “Korea is facing a surge in suicides among men in their 30s to 50s, driven by worsening economic hardship, social isolation and high-profile celebrity deaths, highlighting urgent calls for stronger national suicide prevention measures.”  Link […] The post Thursday assorted links appeared first on...

Political Scientists James Davenport and Craig Dawkins interview me on everything from tariffs to the Borda Count. Here is one bit I wish to underline: Q. In your opinion, what is the biggest economic myth or misconception that is holding the U.S. back? What worries me most is that we’re treating China like an enemy—and […] The post Tabarrok on the Not My Generation...

It is funny when people say AI cannot serve as a lawyer: On Monday, the State Bar of California revealed that it used AI to develop a portion of multiple-choice questions on its February 2025 bar exam, causing outrage among law school faculty and test takers. The admission comes after weeks of complaints about technical problems and […] The post Dept. of Why Not? appeared first...

Here is the audio, video, and transcript.  Here is part of the episode summary: Ken and Tyler tackle international economic dynamics, unresolved macro puzzles, the state of chess, and more, including whether trade deficits are truly unsustainable, why China’s investment-heavy growth model has reached its limits, how currency depreciation neutralizes tariff effects, Pakistan’s IMF bailouts, […] The post My Conversation with the excellent Ken...

1. Do LLMs persuade better than humans? 2. Anthropic Economic Index: AI’s Impact on Software Development. 3. For this summer: “This month-long “popup village” is a prototype for Esmeralda, the permanent town they are building 90 minutes north of SF. Edge Esmeralda runs May 24 – June 21 in Healdsburg, just 15 mins from the land they are buying.” 4. Tuna like […] The post Wednesday assorted links appeared first on...

My little contretemps with Chris Rufo raises the issue of what should classical liberals do? In a powerful essay, C. Bradley Thompson explains why the issue must be faced: The truth of the matter is that the Conservative-Libertarian-Classical Liberal Establishment gave away and lost an entire generation of young people because they refused to defend […] The post What Should Classical Liberals Do? appeared...

Yes, I will be doing a Conversation with her.  From Wikipedia: Annie Jacobsen (born June 28, 1967) is an American investigative journalist, author, and a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist. She writes for and produces television programs, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan for Amazon Studios, and Clarice for CBS. She was a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times Magazine from 2009 until 2012. Jacobsen writes about war, […] The post What should I ask Annie Jacobsen?...

That is the topic of my latest Free Press column, here is one brief excerpt, not unfamiliar to MR readers: As great apes, we obsess over the social hierarchy. Who is being praised and who is being excoriated? Who is hot and who is not? That may sound like gossip, but it is also a […] The post Who is rising and falling in...

Authorities alleged Vong essentially rented out his U.S. identity to developers based in China who used it to get more than a dozen remote tech jobs, some of which involved contract work for sensitive government agencies. A 40-year-old Maryland man is facing decades in prison after he allegedly worked with foreign nationals in China to get remote […] The post Markets in everything appeared first on...

1. o3 beats master geoguesser.  And GPT as therapist. 2. “To support our work in analyzing AI’s economic impacts, we’re pleased to announce the formation of the Anthropic Economic Advisory Council. This group of distinguished economists will provide input on new areas of research for our Economic Index.”  Link here, I am happy to be […] The post Tuesday assorted links appeared first on...

In 2024, Slovakia accepted 100% of its asylum applicants; Portugal accepted 0% of its asylum applicants. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/interactive-publications/migration-2024 Via a number of people in a chain.  The link has further details of interest. The post Slovakia/Portugal fact of the day appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.         CommentsIn reply to mento. ɪᴍ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ... by EVAIn reply to Horhe. That's not how EU law works. Dublin...

That is a recent piece of mine at The Free Press (it has been great fun writing there by the way).  Here is one excerpt: Why do I spend so much of my time with email, group chats, and also writing for larger audiences such as Free Press readers? I ask myself that earnestly, and I have […] The post In defense of an online life...

1. The evolution of rattlesnake venom. 2. In 2022, for better or worse, it was the American public who supported masks on planes. 3. “Yields on short-term government debt have dipped into negative territory in recent days as traders bet that the Swiss National Bank will respond with interest rate cuts. Two-year Swiss yields, which […] The post Monday assorted links appeared first on...

From a new NBER working paper: During the first half of the twentieth century, many US states enacted laws restricting women’s labor market opportunities, including maximum hours restrictions, minimum wage laws, and night-shift bans. The era of so-called protective labor laws came to an end in the 1960s as a result of civil rights reforms. […] The post The Political Economy of Protective Labor...

There are just a few spots left for the Public Choice Outreach Conference! Do encourage your students to apply!   The post The Public Choice Outreach Conference appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.         CommentsIn reply to Donald Pretari. ɪᴍ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ... by EVAIn reply to Donald Pretari. I ɢᴇᴛ ᴘᴀɪᴅ ... by EmmaBeing a Progressive Conservative, I'm voting Conservative ... by Donald PretariIn...

Spain’s grid ran entirely on renewable energy for the first time on April 16, with wind, solar, and hydro meeting all peninsular electricity demand during a weekday. Five days later, solar set a new record, generating 20,120 MW of instantaneous power – covering 78.6% of demand and 61.5% of the grid mix. Here is the […] The post Spain fact of the day appeared...

In a striking demonstration of conservative financial positioning amidst global market uncertainty, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has amassed a staggering $300.87 billion in U.S. Treasury bills, accounting for an estimated 4.89% of the entire T-bill market, according to Berkshire’s latest financial reports. Here is the full story. The post USA fact of the day appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.         CommentsIn reply to LivelyClock....

Hungary’s monthly fertility rate fell to 1.25 in March 2025, 0.1 lower than a year earlier and more than 0.2 lower than two years ago. #demography #fertility #Hungary That is from Csaba G. Tóth, via Noah Smith. The post Hungary fact of the day appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.         CommentsIn reply to Zoroto. They literally banned Pride Parade and ... by CytotoxicMy libertarian...