Abstract

Recent developments and the rapid adoption of Artificial intelligence (AI), increased automation and the use of robots bring great potential to transform industries. The technology changes the nature of work by enhancing human capabilities; it brings opportunities for innovation and increases in productivity. AI adoption across firms has been growing rapidly in recent years, with companies increasingly leveraging AI technologies for a variety of purposes, from improving operational efficiency to gaining competitive advantages. However, systematic evidence on AI adoption rates, who the using firms are, what are determinants and barriers to AI adoption, is still rather thin. Furthermore, AI will likely affect wage inequality, by shifts in employment, skills, productivity and heterogeneous changes in wages for different groups of occupations, types of jobs and across different firms. Yet, evidence on the topic is quite under-researched.

It maybe be challenging to identify the AI adoption and deal with the complexity of the AI technologies. Furthermore, it may be challenging to identifying causal impacts of AI adoption on economic outcomes due to potential endogeneity and self-selection as firms that choose to adopt AI technologies may differ systematically from those that do not; also, there can be a number of other confounding factors influencing the outcomes as well as simultaneity concerns making it difficult to determine the causality.

To overcome the challenges, this project makes use of a novel nationally representative firm level survey combined with the rich administrative data from Denmark. The survey helps to collect information not readily available if using only administrative data. Importantly, it provides questions helping to identify firm current AI adoption, challenges related and intentions for future AI acquisitions, as well as numerous questions on possible areas, preferences and attitudes, on firm and worker levels that AI adoption may affect.

Short Bio

Mariola Pytlikova is AIAS-PIREAU Fellow at AIAS, Aarhus University and Senior Researcher at CERGE, Charles University, where she acts as the head of research group on Labor market effects of COVID19 pandemics under SYRI- National Institute for Research on the Socioeconomic Impact of Disease and Systemic Risk. Before joining AIAS, Aarhus University as an AIAS-PIREAU Fellow, Mariola Pytliková worked as an Assistant Professor at CERGE-EI (under U.S. permanent charter) and as Associate Professor (Docent) at CERGE, Charles University Prague. Among others, she held an Assistant Professor and Postdoctoral Researcher positions at Aarhus University. She received her PhD in Economics from ASB, Aarhus University in 2006. In the past, she held visiting stays at Princeton University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, among others. Her research interests are in the field of labor economics, in particular on topics dealing with international migration, ethnic workforce diversity, gender pay gap and income inequality. She has published in outlets such as the Economic Journal, European Economic Review, Journal of Population Economics, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, International Migration Review, and European Journal of Population, among others. She is a recipient of Kateřina Šmídková’s Award for the best Czech female economist in 2015 and the 2005 Young Economist Award from the Czech Economic Society.

What is an AIAS Seminar?

The AIAS Seminar Series is a session of seminars held by the AIAS fellows, AIAS Visiting or Tandem Fellows or by other speakers proposed by the fellows. In each seminar, a fellow will present and discuss her/his current research and work-in-progress to an interdisciplinary audience for 30 minutes, closing off with 30 minutes for questions, comments and discussion.

All seminars are in-person and held in English. To attend online, please contact Sofia Bentsen at sofia@aias.au.dk by 9:00am on the day of the semimar as the latest to request a link.