Seemingly small percentage gains in productivity can make a big difference in a country's wealth and living standards over time
Jim Lyski, an executive vice president for CarMax, at the auto reseller’s location in Richmond, Va., May 15, 2022. CarMax says it has had encouraging early returns from using real-time recommendation and coaching AI software for call center agents. (Matt Eich/The New York Times)
For years, it has been an article of faith in corporate America that cloud computing and artificial intelligence will fuel a surge in wealth-generating productivity. That belief has inspired a flood of venture funding and company spending. And the payoff, proponents insist, will not be confined to a small group of tech giants but will spread across the economy.
It has not happened yet.
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