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Baffling Fed Choices for AI Productivity Task Force
10 Jul
Summary
- Federal Reserve appointed controversial figures to AI task force.
- Xbox CEO's recent tenure includes layoffs and price hikes.
- Concerns raised about panel's critical stance on AI and jobs.
The Federal Reserve has unveiled the industry leaders selected to chair its task forces focused on monetary policies, particularly concerning the economic effects of new technologies like artificial intelligence. The appointments to the productivity and jobs team, tasked with assessing AI's impact to inform policy judgments, have drawn scrutiny.
Among the appointees is Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Xbox, whose recent tenure has been marked by price increases for gaming hardware and a decision to cut 3,200 jobs across its studios. While Microsoft has implemented widespread staff reductions, the timing of these cuts, alongside broader industry struggles with AI integration and employment, has raised concerns.
Joining Sharma on this advisory panel are Marc Andreessen, whose public commentary on AI has been questioned, and Charles I. Jones, a Stanford economics professor currently on leave to work with the Anthropic Institute. Aside from Jones, the selection of these individuals has led to skepticism about the group's capacity to critically evaluate artificial intelligence and its potential effects on the job market.
