Businesses across the globe are just beginning to understand AI and its potential role in their processes. Professors Isabel Lausberg and Michael Vogelsang present a collection of academic papers from the 2023 Economic Perspective of Artificial Intelligence (EPEAI) conference, offering important insights into AI’s impacts. The studies examine the ongoing adoption of AI across various industries, highlighting the initial steps companies are taking to integrate the technology. They also explore the ambiguous consequences of AI for employees and society, including its potential to reshape jobs in sectors like health care, finance, and technology.
The fast-growing investment in and use of AI in large companies could lead to monopolies.
Richard von Maydell of ETH Zürich and Christoph Menzel of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Berlin, note that the rise of tech giants like Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft has led to increased market concentration, especially in industries like software, social media, and communication networks. These large companies rely on information and communication technology (ICT) — including internet services, software, and digital platforms — that allows them to scale quickly and dominate their markets. The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in these sectors might make the problem worse: AI can help companies reduce costs and become more efficient, but it can also make it harder for new businesses to enter a market, because they lack the resources to compete with larger firms already using AI. Dominant companies could thus further solidify their positions and push up prices, harming competition.
The increasing role of intangible assets, like software, data, and AI itself, adds to the problem of market concentration. In industries...
Isabel Lausberg and Michael Vogelsang of the Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, edited this collection. Lausberg is a professor of business and management accounting, and Vogelsang is a professor of economics.
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