The A.I.-Profits Drought and the Lessons of History | The New Yorker Highlight

If this thesis is taken at face value, it’s ultimately an optimistic one for businesses—although not necessarily for workers whose skills can be replicated by A.I. (As some entry-level programmers are already finding, the latter have ample reason to be alarmed.) On the technology J curve, once the “frictions” are overcome, productivity takes off. But since the journey along the curve can be lengthy, it’s hard to predict which firms will emerge as the winners and losers.