UVA Economics Professor Named to TIME’s List of Most Influential People in AI

University of Virginia economist Anton Korinek has been named to TIME’s third-annual TIME100 AI list recognizing the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence. 

Korinek is a professor in the Department of Economics in UVA’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and has an affiliation with the Darden School of Business. He has long been considered one of the leading figures exploring the rapidly evolving economic impact of artificial intelligence on the world — and the challenges inherent in harnessing its potential while preparing for the risks that it may pose. His work not only showcases how AI can revolutionize white-collar work but also paints a cautionary picture of the disruption that may occur if AI takes over jobs faster than humans can adjust.

Earlier this year, he was one of a handful of international experts selected to deliver a report to the G7 nations of the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom on how AI might affect the world’s leading economies. 

A frequently sought interview subject for The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, American Public Media’s “Marketplace,” CNN and other media outlets, Korinek addresses the implications of AI for labor markets, and for economic growth and its distributional impact.

"We are not prepared," Korinek said following the TIME100 AI announcement. "The leading AI companies are developing a technology that could transform our world as profoundly as the Industrial Revolution did two centuries ago — but compressed into a fraction of the time. Back then, we created machines that surpassed human physical strength; now we're creating machines that could surpass human cognitive abilities. Combine the two, and there's little that can't be automated."

Korinek predicts that transformative AI will deliver remarkable breakthroughs in medicine and the sciences, creating immense opportunities for human advancement. Yet it may also bring unprecedented disruption, particularly to employment. In worst-case scenarios, it could lead to mass impoverishment—an outcome Korinek calls both an economic and moral failure. 

"If the United States is to maintain its technological leadership," he emphasizes, "we need broad societal support for technological progress. This means taking care of those who are left behind and ensuring that everyone can benefit from this revolutionary technology.”

Korinek is also a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). In June, he was appointed to the Anthropic Economic Advisory Council, advising on AI’s economic and labor-market implications for one of the world’s leading AI labs. 

Korinek’s scholarship and teaching underscores the emphasis placed by UVA Arts & Sciences on deepening our understanding of — and providing context for — AI's societal impact. His inclusion in the 2025 TIME100 AI list spotlights UVA's commitment to shaping AI research, education and policy, and promotes the University’s interdisciplinary collaborations across economics, technology, ethics and public policy. 

“This global recognition is richly deserved, and we are tremendously proud to see Anton Korinek recognized in the 2025 TIME100 AI list,” said Christa Acampora, Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. “This distinguished accolade reflects his influential contributions and transformative work to better understand the implications of AI on our society, and we are grateful to count him among our esteemed faculty in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.”

With support from Arts & Sciences, Korinek is launching the Economics of Transformative AI (EconTAI) Initiative at UVA — the first dedicated research center focused on understanding and preparing our economy for AI systems that may soon match or exceed human-level intelligence. Together with UVA economists Basil Halperin and Lee Lockwood, the initiative engages in cutting-edge research, policy translation and public education, bringing together scholars to analyze how transformative AI will reshape labor markets, productivity, inequality and economic growth. 

To assemble its third-annual TIME100 AI list, TIME’s editors and reporters examined the key stories in AI over the past year and consulted with expert sources and industry leaders for recommendations. You can see TIME’s complete list of 100 “leaders, innovators, shapers and thinkers who have a stake in the future of AI” here: time.com/time100ai