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Why AI isn’t boosting the economy

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

Release Date: 06/18/2025

Do gay men have a tougher time buying used cars? show art Do gay men have a tougher time buying used cars?

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

The stereotypical good negotiator is tough, assertive and dominant. When we think of those traits, we may well think of certain stereotypical kind of people who we think fit with that—and who doesn’t fit. So how do people respond differently depending on who they think they’re negotiating with? Chicago Booth’s Erika Kirgios tells us about her research on stereotypes and negotiation in the used-car market. 

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Will alternative investments underperform? show art Will alternative investments underperform?

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

In recent decades, US pension and endowment funds have increasingly allocated funds to alternative investments such as private equity and venture capital. Will those investments pay off? Chicago Booth’s Joe Pagliari tells us about his research on real-estate private-equity funds, and explains his concerns that they may not generate the returns that they expected to earn.

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What Trader Joe’s tells us about strategy show art What Trader Joe’s tells us about strategy

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

The US supermarket business is cut-throat, but amid it all Trader Joe’s has been able to carve a distinct role. Chicago Booth’s Ram Shivakumar explains how it has thrived, and what it tells us about business strategy in a highly competitive market.

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Can you catch AI-written reviews? show art Can you catch AI-written reviews?

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

Schools are trying to restrict or at least identify the use of AI, and colleges are attempting to catch students who cut and paste generated text to use in their assignments. How effective are the tools they’re using? Chicago Booth’s Brian Jabarian about his research on AI detection tools. Jabarian points out that it’s not just education that’s affected, but also the reviews that drive consumer purchases. So can online tools help you detect if that restaurant review was written by ChatGPT?

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Is Atlanta a better real-estate investment than New York? show art Is Atlanta a better real-estate investment than New York?

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

New York, LA, Chicago, Boston and other big US cities have traditionally been a good bet for real-estate investors. But that view is changing. Chicago Booth’s Joe Pagliari explains why those traditional markets are riskier investments, and why more and more real-estate investors are looking at cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver and Houston.

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How take-out and delivery boosts productivity show art How take-out and delivery boosts productivity

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

For the 30 years leading up to the COVID pandemic, productivity in US restaurants was essentially flat. Since the pandemic, restaurant productivity has soared—because of the rise of take-out and delivery. Chicago Booth’s Chad Syverson about his research into the restaurant productivity boom. How has take-out and delivery transformed the economics of the food industry?

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What makes welfare recipients invest in their kids’ human capital? show art What makes welfare recipients invest in their kids’ human capital?

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

Critics of social welfare programs often talk about how payments can disincentivize work. But is that always the case? Chicago Booth’s Rebecca Dizon Ross talks about her research on how parents of disabled children think about the social safety net and investing in their kids’ human capital. Could giving them better information help shape their thinking and behavior?

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How much does a CEO really matter? show art How much does a CEO really matter?

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

It’s a cliché for organizations to say that their people are their most important asset, but how important is the person at the top? Can we measure the impact of a CEO or a manager? Chicago Booth’s Mike Gibbs gives us a survey of economic research on leadership and management. How much of a difference does a good leader make? And why do “manager-types” so often struggle when they get promoted to leadership roles?

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Why economics is not about numbers show art Why economics is not about numbers

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

Economics is all around us. At least, that’s what Chicago Booth’s Ram Shivakumar believes, and he’s on a mission to demonstrate that economics is not about numbers or theoretical models, but is at play in many everyday decisions, like whether to order a pizza, where to buy it from and what toppings to get. If economics isn’t about numbers, what is it about?

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You Might Also Like: Markets for Pollution, from Shocked show art You Might Also Like: Markets for Pollution, from Shocked

Chicago Booth Review Podcast

A warmer world is here. Now what? Listen to Shocked, from the University of Chicago’s Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, and hear journalist Amy Harder and economist Michael Greenstone share new ways of thinking about climate change and cutting-edge solutions:

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More Episodes

Employees are increasingly using AI, and their employers are increasingly encouraging them to do so. Companies are building their own chatbots, and training their staff in how best to use the technology. You might think this would be feeding through into corporate profits and boosting the economy. So why isn’t it? We hear from Chicago Booth’s Anders Humlum, whose research documents the paltry effects AI is having on company earnings and economic growth