The paper said that after an AI tool was implemented at a large materials-science lab, researchers discovered significantly more materials—a result that suggested that, in certain settings, AI could substantially improve worker productivity. That paper, by Aidan Toner-Rodgers, was covered by The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets.
The paper was championed by MIT economists Daron Acemoglu, who won the 2024 economics Nobel, and David Autor.
In a press release, MIT said it “has no confidence in the provenance, reliability or validity of the data and has no confidence in the veracity of the research contained in the paper.”
The university said the author of the paper is no longer at MIT.
“The paper was championed by MIT economists Daron Acemoglu, who won the 2024 economics Nobel, and David Autor. The two said they were approached in January by a computer scientist with experience in materials science who questioned how the technology worked, and how a lab that he wasn’t aware of had experienced gains in innovation.”
It sounds like this hypothetical materials science lab maybe did not actually exist. Actual materials scientist reached out and went “Hey, I never heard of that lab, who are they and how did they use AI?” Oh… THAT lab? Yeah, it’s in Canada, you don’t know it…