Beyond Hype and Despair: Developing Healthy Communities in the Era of Intelligent Tools
Martin Kenney, John Zysman, and Laura Tyson
Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, Innovation Policy White Paper Series, January 2019
Hype and despair: many analyses of AI and other intelligent tools swing between these two extremes. But imagining either the most fantastic or the most catastrophic scenarios can obscure understanding of intelligent tools’ practical and immediate impact on employment, productivity, public policy, and other areas. In this essay, BRIE's John Zysman, Martin Kenney, and Laura Tyson analyze the current narratives on technology, and take a step toward developing sustainable and equitable communities in the era of intelligent tools. Download the full paper here.
Unicorns, Cheshire cats, and the new dilemmas of entrepreneurial finance
Martin Kenney and John Zysman
Venture Capital: An International Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance, March 2019
What happens when the flow of private funds into so-called "Unicorns" ever slows or reverses? Will they turn into "Cheshire cats" and fade rapidly, leaving only a grin? Since the dot-com crash, digital startups have tapped the gusher of venture capital financing to run prolonged, massive losses while undercutting incumbents across sectors. In this article, BRIE co-directors Martin Kenney and John Zysman critically examine the sustainability of this financing model; if not, we may see a prevalence of firms whose early exits enrich founders and venture capitalists, but whose eventual failures hang other investors out to dry. Download the full paper here.
Algorithms, Platforms, and Ethnic Bias: A Diagnostic Model
Silva Selena and Martin Kenney
Communications of the Association of Computing Machinery, forthcoming November 2019
Algorithms and digital platforms organize ever greater areas of social, political, and economic life. In performing its functions, as Lawrence Lessig observed, code functions like law to structure human activity; meanwhile, algorithms are built with specific theories in mind about the correspondences between persons and things. For engineers and policymakers alike, understanding how and where bias occurs in algorithmic processes can help address and mitigate it. This paper's contribution is the introduction of a visual model that extends previous research to identify where in an algorithmic process bias may occur. Download the full paper here.
Global Competitors? Mapping the Internationalization Strategies of Chinese Digital Platform Firms
Kai Jia, Martin Kenney, and John Zysman
International Business in the Information and Digital Age, December 2018
China's digital platform firms now rival the size of the US' platform giants. Have they developed the capacities and resources to challenge the reigning American firms on the global stage? In this paper, the authors compile and describe a database of the overseas operations of nine of China's platform companies. So far, in spite of significant overseas investments that follow a distinct pattern, in nearly all markets Chinese websites and apps trail US competitors in market share and salience. Download the full paper here.
The Next Phase in the Digital Revolution: Intelligent Tools, Platforms, Growth, Employment
John Zysman and Martin Kenney
Communications of the Assocation of Computing Machinery, February 2018
Computer-intensive automation has become widespread across the global economy. Consequently, the nature of work and manufacturing value creation has changed. How does computer-intensive automation influence the productivity of society, and what are some of the dilemmas associated with its generalized integration? In this paper, BRIE's John Zysman and Martin Kenney discuss the next phase in the digital revolution. Download the full paper here.
Intelligent Tools and Digital Platforms: Implications for Work and Employment
John Zysman and Martin Kenney
Intereconomics, November/December 2017
The rise of digital platforms is transforming our society and economy. With the benefits of new technology and strategies also comes new challenges: are digital platforms further widening income gaps? What about unemployment? In this article, BRIE co-directors John Zysman and Martin Kenney offer a comparative perspective among the United States, Europe and Asia on the implications for work and employment associated with the rise of intelligent tools and digital platforms. Download the full paper here.
The Rise of the Platform Economy
Martin Kenney and John Zysman
Issues in Science and Technology, April 2016
How do big data, algorithms, and cloud computing change the nature of work and the structure of the economy? How do companies like Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb create and capture value? In their seminal paper, BRIE co-directors Martin Kenney and John Zysman discuss the rise of a digitally-based platform economy. Download the full paper here.