The effects that AI will have on the world economy, says Dr. Michael Gofman, senior lecturer in finance and head of the PhD Program at the Hebrew University Business School, cannot be overstated. “The entire economy is going to undergo an enormous transformation,” he says. “It can be relatively smooth and controlled, or it can be quite disruptive.”
Gofman is known for his extensive research on AI as a driver of long-term economic growth and on the key factors in the success of AI startups.
One of Gofman’s most significant AI responsibilities at Hebrew University is his position as co-founder of the new Jerusalem Research Center for AI in Organizations, part of the Business School. Located at the school’s Mount Scopus campus, the research center, which received seed funding from Google, focuses on implementing AI in organizations, including non-profits, commercial entities, universities, and governments, to enable safe, efficient adoption.
Gofman explains that one of the center’s goals is to ensure that companies in the age of AI know how to manage risks and seize opportunities to become more productive. “It’s a challenge that requires a great deal of cooperation between universities and the public sector to make it interdisciplinary. Our vision is to create opportunities, conferences, and grants, so that researchers can first research based on data, to understand how we can deal with this situation where AI meets the economy, and how to make this meeting less dangerous, less disruptive, and more constructive, so that it’s safe, while preserving opportunities.”
