A new book edited by Prof. Gary Gensler and Prof. Simon Johnson examines the current administration’s impact on the global economy and how new policies could lead to “a profound weakening of both US economic dynamism and the global system it once led,” reports Sam Sutton for Politico.
A study by researchers from MIT and elsewhere compares productivity differences between remote and in-person work attendance, reports Gleb Tsipursky for The Hill. The study found that “employees do not simply become more efficient because a manager watches their every move,” explains Tsipursky. “Rather, they want clarity, communication, and trust.”
Prof. Gary Gensler speaks with Bloomberg Surveillance about his new book examining the potential economic impacts of current policies in Washington. “I don’t think the tariffs are going to help,” says Gensler. “I think they’re going to hurt and interestingly they’re going to particularly hurt also in rural communities because rural communities have to sell their farm goods and they’re agricultural products overseas.”
Researchers at MIT have found that “AI agents can make the workplace more productive when fine-tuned for different personality types, but human co-workers pay a price in lost socialization,” reports Kaustuv Basu for Bloomberg. The researchers concluded “found that humans using AI raised their productivity by 60%—partly because those workers sent 23% fewer social messages,” writes Basu.
Sloan Lecturer Michael Schrage speaks with Fortune reporter Sheryl Estrada about prompt-a-thons, “structured, sprint-based sessions for developing prompts for large language models (LLMs).” The “prompt-a-thon process reframes prompting as a high-impact diagnostic and design discipline—engineered for fast, actionable insight,” explains Estrada. “It’s not just about using AI more effectively—it’s about thinking and collaborating more intelligently with it,” adds Schrage.
American Kahan spotlights Prof. Anantha Chandrakasan, MIT’s chief innovation and strategy office and dean of MIT’s School of Engineering, who was recently named the Institute’s new provost. “As Chandrakasan prepares to guide MIT through this evolving landscape, he remains grounded in the principles that have shaped his career: excellence, innovation, and collaboration,” writes American Kahan.
In a letter to the editor of The Wall Street Journal, Prof. Yossi Sheffi shares his perspective on the role of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and voices support for the appointment of his colleague Prof. Retsef Levi to the committee. Sheffi notes that ACIP is “charged with assessing [vaccine] safety and efficacy. That is done through statistics and data science, areas in which Mr. Levi excels.”
The Press Trust of India spotlights how Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the MIT School of Engineering and MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer, has been named the Institute’s new provost. In announcing Chandrakasan’s new role, President Sally Kornbluth noted that he “brings to this post an exceptional record of shaping and leading important innovations for the Institute.”
Prof. Anantha Chandrakasan, MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer and dean of MIT’s School of Engineering, has been named the Institute’s new provost, reports The Hindu. “As MIT’s chief academic officer, Prof. Chandrakasan will focus on three overarching priorities: understanding institutional needs and strategic financial planning, attracting and retaining top talent, and supporting cross-cutting research, education, and entrepreneurship programming.”
Prof. Simon Johnson speaks with Wired reporter Paresh Dave about the financial and social cost of AI implantation in the workforce, making the case that governments should lower payroll taxes for entry-level roles to encourage hiring and help humans build careers. “The right lever to pull is one that reduces costs to employers,” says Johnson.
Katie Rae, Engine CEO and managing partner, Smyon Dukach SM '92 and Brian Halligan MBA '05 have been named to the 2025 Boston Globe list of Tech Power Players in the venture capital sector, reports Aaron Pressman for The Boston Globe.
Georgina Campbell Flatter SM '11, Carmichael Roberts MBA '00 and Elise Strobach SM '17, PhD '20 are among the 2025 Boston Globe Tech Power Players in the sustainability sector, reports Jon Chesto for The Boston Globe.
Sloan lecturer Mikey Shulman, Colin Angle '89, SM '90, Tye Brady SM '99, Laira Major SM '05, Dharmesh Shah SM '06 have been named to the 2025 Boston Globe Tech Power Players list for their work in the applied AI sector, reports Hiawatha Bray for The Boston Globe.
Prof. Yet-Ming Chiang, Shreya Dave '09, SM ’12, PhD '16, Bob Mumgaard SM '15, PhD '15 and Sloan alumna Emily Reichert have been named to the 2025 Boston Globe Tech Power Players list for their efforts in the energy sector, reports Hiawatha Bray for The Boston Globe. Chiang emphasizes the importance of federal funding in advancing scientific research. “My entire career has been supported by US taxpayers,” Chiang says. “The ability to give back and develop technologies and create jobs, that’s a big motivator for me.”
Postdoc Isabella Loaiza speaks with ABC News reporter Max Zahn about her study examining how jobs and tasks across the U.S. economy shifted between 2016-2024. Loaiza and her colleagues found that “rather than dispense with qualities like critical thinking and empathy, workplace technology heightened the need for workers who exhibit those attributes,” Zahn explains. “It is true we’re seeing AI having an impact on white-collar work instead of more blue-collar work,” says Loaiza. “We found that jobs that are very human-intensive are probably more robust.”