There's lots to be said for the "abundance" movement but it says too little about distressed places. Interesting take from @timbartik.bsky.social @dkthomp.bsky.social @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social @yappelbaum.bsky.social @andreperryedu.bsky.social @brookings.edu @upjohninstitute.bsky.social

Pleased to see our @brookings.edu data points on AI geography help anchor Carl Frey @nytimes.com comment reiterating that ec decline is not inevitable. Early reaction will allow "adaptation and survival." www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/opinion/ai-job-loss-deindustrialization.html

Already lots of well-placed outrage at the dismissal of the BLS Commissioner late last week; just want to add how much I have appreciated and relied on BLS data for the past 25 years to tell the story of regional economies. Hope their vital, non-political work continues. cc: @markmuro1.bsky.social

Glad to see @bradsmi.bsky.social at @microsoft.com affirm the concern many of us have about the social and geographical divides we're seeing between AI's readiness haves and have-nots. shorturl.at/Ai48N If #AI is transformative we need to work harder on inclusion, equity, broad readiness

What to make of the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan Here are 15 short takes (including mine) on the Trump #AI agenda from @brookings.edu scholars www.brookings.edu/articles/wha... @drturnerlee.bsky.social thanks for instigating @shriyared.bsky.social

@brookings.edu’s new AI mapping suggests these elements of a fed strategy to support readiness in diverse regions: --Boost AI research --Scale AI cluster Dev --Expand talent pipelines --develop infrastructure --Support worker adjustment rb.gy/1lpbeu @hboushey.bsky.social @dylanmatt.bsky.social

Wish it were cooler here in Washington DC!

Mapping the AI economy: Which regions are ready for the next technology leap www.brookings.edu/articles/map...

If #AI matters for productivity and ec gains, it matters WHO is "ready" to adopt it--and WHERE. See our new @BrookingsInst AI readiness mapping. See here: www.brookings.edu/articles/mapping-the-ai-economy-which-regions-are-ready-for-the-next-technology-leap/?b=1 @berkeleyolab.bsky.social

Hey thanks for working on this @peterha21.social

ICYMI: check out this new @brookings.edu analysis by @markmuro1.bsky.social @shriyared.bsky.social mapping the #AI economy. Among others they find high concentration in a limited number of metro areas, but numerous other regions are home to meaningful AI activity www.brookings.edu/articles/map...

Re the #AI divide! Last week we mapped it in #AI readiness: www.brookings.edu/articles/map... Now, @msftresearch.bsky.social shows it re ChatGPT use: www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/the-emerging-ai-divide-in-the-united-states/?msockid=22dc082541af6a272d501bc340fd6bb3 @brookings.edu

Now out: Mapping the AI economy: Which regions are ready for the next technology leap. New research from me and @shriyared.bsky.social @brookings.edu www.brookings.edu/articles/map...

As the #EU drifts into discontent, it eyes dismantling its main tool for development & the one policy that binds its parts. Cohesion is the scaffolding of the idea of #Europe & the key to unlocking the continent’s untapped potential ec.europa.eu/regional_pol... doi.org/10.1080/0013...

Thank you @rodriguez-pose.bsky.social for distilling the critical need for complement "superstar" concentrations of #AI development with readiness in the rest of the country. And note this will likely be a problem in Europe too. @brookings.edu @dacemoglumit.bsky.social @calebwatney.bsky.social

Here are 4 takeaways from our new @brookings.edu benchmarking of U.S. regions' #AI readiness: --Rapid growth --Extreme concentration --More geographic diffusion --Persistent opportunity gaps www.brookings.edu/articles/mapping-the-ai-economy-which-regions-are-ready-for-the-next-technology-leap/

interesting to see which cities are more cloud/data ready and following through

Our new @brookings.edu mapping finds six types of AI clusters in the U.S. Superstars Star Hubs Emerging Centers Focused Movers Nascent Adopters Others www.brookings.edu/articles/map...

“Mapping the AI economy” My new report w/ @shriyared.bsky.social @brookings.edu www.brookings.edu/articles/map... @shiraovide.bsky.social @profhicks.bsky.social @nickbunker.bsky.social @berkeleyolab.bsky.social @pkrugman.bsky.social @kevinroose.com @conorsen.bsky.social

NEW: “Mapping the AI economy: Which regions are readiest for the next tech leap.” Here's a look at the geography of AI from @shriyared.bsky.social & myself @BrookingsInst @BrookingsMetro www.brookings.edu/articles/map... @yappelbaum.bsky.social @byheatherlong.bsky.social @karenhao.bsky.social

"Mapping the AI economy: Which regions are ready for the next technological leap.” New report from @shriyared.bsky.social and myself See how your metro is doing! @brookings.edu www.brookings.edu/articles/map... @robpuentes.bsky.social

Great to see @codeforamerica.org mapping gov't readiness for #AI across all 50 states. Later this week @brookings.edu will map AI ec dev readiness across 300+ metros. It's definitely time to get ready! @emollick.bsky.social @econberger.bsky.social @robpuentes.bsky.social @shiraovide.bsky.social

Delighted to help Tej Parikh explain America's ec divides in the FT Red and Blue America continue to represent "fundamentally contrasting economies" on.ft.com/4lelvdP @rodriguez-pose.bsky.social @brookings.edu @pbump.com @annielowrey.bsky.social @crampell.bsky.social @jfallows.bsky.social

"It's hard to AI-proof your job or career given so much uncertainty" about both. Great comment from @adamclarkestes.com @vox.com in good story quoting @emollick.bsky.social and I on #AI infusion into work www.vox.com/technology/418525/ai-chatgpt-google-office-work-white-collar-jobs

So glad you guys find the discussion useful. Note that it applies to #AI as much as trade shocks, and some of the outlines about what to do about such shocks apply both to trade and automation, and to now as much as earlier @bencasselman.bsky.social @brookings.edu @alexsjacquez.bsky.social

How can policymakers help communities left behind by globalization and automation? My excellent podcast guest Gordon Hanson (who coined the term "China Shock") weights in www.brookings.edu/articles/how-can-policymakers-help-communities-left-behind-by-globalization-and-automation/ @brookings.edu

Universities are critical for filling innovation gaps in less dynamic, under-performing regions Important new research from Fiona Murray @mitsloan.bsky.social Mercedes Delgado notes key role of higher ed in struggling places mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-t... @mazzucatom.bsky.social

AI inroads update: Danielle Abril asks, Will a slower economy accelerate AI workforce impacts, disruption? I add a few thoughts to a good speculative story. wapo.st/4kRgYxi @brookings.edu

To me the major question is whether adoption hurdles, organizational drag, and such buy workers more time than @darioamodei.bsky.social forecasts before significant #AI relayed layoffs @noahpinion.blogsky.venki.dev @mattyglesias.bsky.social @dylanmatt.bsky.social @robseamans.bsky.social

Tulsa has worked to diversify its oil & gas economy, including with a popular worker attraction program. Economist @timbartik.bsky.social @upjohninstitute.bsky.social likes it. www.upjohn.org/research-highlights/each-dollar-spent-drawing-remote-workers-tulsa-delivers-4-benefit-current-residents

U.S. needs a new High Speed Computing strategy if it wants to maintain innovation leadership, writes Jack Dongarra New funding, more training, and more partnerships are all essential theconversation.com/challenges-t... @calebwatney.bsky.social @kevintfrazier.bsky.social @shriyared.bsky.social

Augury of U.S.? Proliferation of China data centers creates numerous "distressed assets" Good reporting in @techreviewjp.bsky.social www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/26/1113802/china-ai-data-centers-unused h/t @shriyared.bsky.social

China built 100s of AI data centers to catch the AI boom. Now many stand unused, says @caiweicaiwei.bsky.social in MIT Tech Review Is that a caution for the U.S.--or no? www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/26/1113802/china-ai-data-centers-unused/amp/?utm_source=tldrai h/t @shriyared.bsky.social

Key disconcerting insight from new @rodriguez-pose.bsky.social analysis for Swedish data: The knowledge produced is often too specialised, too mobile, or too detached from local industrial #ecosystems to anchor prosperity in place. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00343404.2025.2462712

Good to see @kevinfrazier.bsky.social @lawfaremedia.org riff on our & others' work on #AI regional divides and need to counter gaps by promoting diffusion Trump #AI Action Plan should defend U.S. leadership by promoting wider geographic adoption @shriyared.bsky.social @joeldodge07.bsky.social

Interesting new #AI geography work: #AI emp declines rapidly with distance from AI #innovation hotspots, report @Jennifer Hunt, Iain Cockburn, and James Bessen www.nber.org/papers/w33022 @nickbloom.bsky.social @robseamans.bsky.social @shriyared.bsky.social

CHIPS Act rules--say for workforce pathways--aren't "everything-bagel liberalism." As Joel Dodge notes they are actually necessary and valuable conditions to improve factory build-out. And there are many more examples in Biden industrial policy. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/04/24/i...

Growing from the middle out: An economic model of good jobs for the heartland, by the heartland Solid thinking from Ben Armstrong and Elisabeth Reynolds at MIT's MIT Industrial Performance Center www.brookings.edu/articles/gro... @brookings.edu @byheatherlong.bsky.social @drodrik.bsky.social

For those who don't know, driving an 18-wheeler is the #1 job in *more than half of all states*. The will turn into a sort of kitchen table calamity the likes of which this country has never known. Also, because so many of them are technically self-employed, their access to benefits will be minimal.

Well that's good: The Trump administration is walking back its April 1 decision to zero out millions in funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers whose contracts were up for renewal in 10 states. @drodrik.bsky.social @noahpinion.blogsky.venki.dev

Good to see @a16z.bsky.social inclusion of "Regional AI hubs" concept in new policy agenda for "Little Tech" #AI Need more pointed "place-based" policy to accelerate regional clusters--look for more coming from The Brookings Institution a16z.com/a-policy-blu... @mattperault.bsky.social

The CHIPS Act is alive... In South Korea. As a share of GDP, their package is 22 times larger than what even Biden pledged. South Korea unveils $23 billion support package for chips amid US tariff uncertainty. www.reuters.com/technology/s...

#AI is different from earlier forms of automation--& workers are worried about it writes @danielleabril.bsky.social w/ comments from @MollyKinder + myself Society, gov/t, civil society need to get serious re adjustment www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/04/08/ai-job-loss-work/ @brookings.edu

My quote in excellent @bencasselman.bsky.social take below on tariff plan to quickly recreate #usmfg "Golden Age:" "It's not very plausible to think you can turn off one ec order and turn on another" in months. @noahpinion.blogsky.venki.dev @conorsen.bsky.social @profhicks.bsky.social

And here's the #AI part of the university research crisis I've been posting about this week. @matteowong.bsky.social reviews threats that could jeopardize the AI boom and further progress

Slashing university research flows harms local regional industry clusters as well as nation’s international competitiveness. @RonBrownstein writes, with data and comments from @brookings.edu www.cnn.com/2025/04/13/politics/trump-universities-research-economy-nih-cuts/index.html

Another problem with Trump research wars: Harming universities & their research activity hurts the metros they operate in--and that further harms the U.S. economy. See strong @RonBrownstein essay @CNN cnn.com/2025/04/13/p... @ranaforoohar.bsky.social @noahpinion.blogsky.venki.dev

Worth a look: @RonBrownstein @cnn.com essay on Trump offensive vs research universities leverages @brookings.edu data on these hubs' importance as regional ec engines and core assets in the China competition. cnn.com/2025/04/13/p...

The lesson of the "China shock" isn't actually about trade. It's about how hard it is for workers and communities to adapt to rapid economic changes. Now Trump is trying to reshape the global economy overnight, with potentially devastating consequences. #EconSky www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/b...

Immigration from abroad accounted for almost all of the return to population increases in 55 major metro areas in 2023-24, writes Bill Frey @BrookingsInst www.brookings.edu/articles/rec...