A.I. and Our Economic Future
· Revised June 2026
Summary
Jones argues that automating intelligence could break with the long stability of economic growth, but that large gains may arrive slowly because progress remains constrained by unautomated “weak links.” Those same weak links can make systems vulnerable when AI makes it easier to damage one critical component.
Why it matters
The paper offers a compact framework for thinking about ordinary growth, accelerated growth, bottlenecks, and catastrophic downside within the same economic picture.
What to keep in mind
This is a forward-looking analytical essay, not a causal estimate of AI’s current effect on growth.