REGISTER: Two economists weigh in on the digital future

UPDATE: Watch the video recording of the event.

Join us for a conversation between two leading economists on the opportunities and challenges of the digital economy. At work and at home, the digital economy is changing the way we go about our daily routines. Alexa, Spotify, Match.com, Amazon, the Apple Watch, to name a few. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend, as the way we work, shop, connect, and consume entertainment changed practically overnight. Avi Goldfarb and Joel Waldfogel will share their research and perspectives on the economics and strategy of technological change. The conversation will be moderated by Lee Schafer, business columnist with the Star Tribune.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will hold the event as a virtual seminar via Zoom. The event is open to the public, but registration is required.

The creative industries are going through a major revolution. It's easier than ever before to self-publish books, produce movies, distribute music and TV shows. But does this offer us a new golden age of popular culture, or are we drowning in a tide of cultural silt?

Artificial intelligence is everywhere: in our phones, cars, hospitals, banks, shopping experiences. Business executives and entrepreneurs are racing to unlock the potential of AI, and workers are anxious about the future of their jobs. Is the hand-wringing and rhetoric about robots taking our jobs warranted?

Avi Goldfarb is the Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management. His research focuses on the economics of technology. He also serves as Chief Data Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab. Along with Ajay Agrawal and Joshua Gans, Goldfarb is the author of the book Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence (Harvard Business Review Press, 2018). Goldfarb received a BA in economics from Queens University and a PhD in economics from Northwestern University.

Joel Waldfogel holds the Frederick R. Kappel Chair in Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. His main research interests are industrial organization and law and economics, and he has conducted empirical studies of price advertising, media markets, and issues related to digital products, including piracy, pricing, and revenue sharing. He has authored numerous books, including Digital Renaissance (Princeton University Press, 2018). A native of Minneapolis, Waldfogel received a BA in economics from Brandeis University and a PhD in economics from Stanford University.

Lee Schafer joined the Star Tribune as a columnist in 2012 after 15 years in business, including leading his own consulting practice and serving on corporate boards of directors. A native of southwest Minnesota, Schafer is a graduate of Macalester College and Northwestern University.