David Ticoll
@david-ticoll.bsky.social
Munk School Fellow, University of Toronto. Theoretically retired. Still trying to move a tiny part of the needle re AI in Canada’s public interest. And: family, fotos, fitness.
Reposted by David Ticoll
We're getting extremely close to the day when America spends more money to build data centers than office buildings
Only 5 years ago, office construction spending was 7x data center spending
Only 5 years ago, office construction spending was 7x data center spending
August 2, 2025 at 9:07 PM
We're getting extremely close to the day when America spends more money to build data centers than office buildings
Only 5 years ago, office construction spending was 7x data center spending
Only 5 years ago, office construction spending was 7x data center spending
Reposted by David Ticoll
Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
August 2, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
Reposted by David Ticoll
In other news, computer science applications were down about 27% Y-o-Y in Ontario univerities this spring.
July 9, 2025 at 8:21 PM
In other news, computer science applications were down about 27% Y-o-Y in Ontario univerities this spring.
Reposted by David Ticoll
This report from the Joint California Policy Working Group on AI Frontier Models is an important step towards effective and balanced AI regulation. It builds meaningfully on the International AI Safety Report and offers a thoughtful framework for policymaking at the frontier of AI development. 🧵
1/4
1/4
Joint California Policy Working Group on AI Frontier Models
cafrontieraigov.org
June 18, 2025 at 11:31 PM
This report from the Joint California Policy Working Group on AI Frontier Models is an important step towards effective and balanced AI regulation. It builds meaningfully on the International AI Safety Report and offers a thoughtful framework for policymaking at the frontier of AI development. 🧵
1/4
1/4
Reposted by David Ticoll
Wild how the Fed chair saying that *entire regions of the United States* won’t be able to get a mortgage in the next decade barely registered as a news event
June 18, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Wild how the Fed chair saying that *entire regions of the United States* won’t be able to get a mortgage in the next decade barely registered as a news event
Treating tiny condos - that no one wants to live in - as an investment that will appreciate forever turned out to be a disastrous policy and market illusion. Though it was, for several years, a boon for developers.
The Toronto Condo market crash we've all been expecting for YEARS is (sadly) finally here, according to @ronmortgageguy, who joins @SabrinaMaddeaux & @MikepMoffatt on today's Missing Middle pod
June 4, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Treating tiny condos - that no one wants to live in - as an investment that will appreciate forever turned out to be a disastrous policy and market illusion. Though it was, for several years, a boon for developers.
Reposted by David Ticoll
Fascinating and deeply unsettling trends. Is it any wonder why right-wing parties are bombarding young men with “the world is broken” messaging?
June 4, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Fascinating and deeply unsettling trends. Is it any wonder why right-wing parties are bombarding young men with “the world is broken” messaging?
Yoshua Bengio nonprofit startup aims to create safe AI systems that have intellectual distance from humans and act as more like a detached scientist than a personal companion or human agent.
Today marks a big milestone for me. I'm launching @law-zero.bsky.social, a nonprofit focusing on a new safe-by-design approach to AI that could both accelerate scientific discovery and provide a safeguard against the dangers of agentic AI.
Every frontier AI system should be grounded in a core commitment: to protect human joy and endeavour. Today, we launch LawZero, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing safe-by-design AI. lawzero.org
June 3, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Yoshua Bengio nonprofit startup aims to create safe AI systems that have intellectual distance from humans and act as more like a detached scientist than a personal companion or human agent.
Europe greatly lags the US - as does Canada, for similar reasons…
on.ft.com/4jA4ZmR Early adoption of AI will boost US growth. This is a rare but significant tailwind for US markets
Early adoption of AI will boost US growth
[FREE TO READ] Artificial intelligence may buoy stocks even as it destroys jobs
on.ft.com
June 2, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Europe greatly lags the US - as does Canada, for similar reasons…
June 1, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by David Ticoll
At a time when people are understandably focused on the daily chaos in Washington, these articles describe the rapidly accelerating impact that AI is going to have on jobs, the economy, and how we live.
Behind the Curtain: Top AI CEO foresees white-collar bloodbath
Hardly anyone is paying attention.
www.axios.com
May 30, 2025 at 9:46 PM
At a time when people are understandably focused on the daily chaos in Washington, these articles describe the rapidly accelerating impact that AI is going to have on jobs, the economy, and how we live.
Reposted by David Ticoll
number of fully electric cars sold in europe last month
tesla: 7,165
byd: 7,231
the chinese ev maker passing tesla for the first time
-ft/jato dynamics
tesla: 7,165
byd: 7,231
the chinese ev maker passing tesla for the first time
-ft/jato dynamics
BYD sells more electric vehicles in Europe than Tesla for first time
Chinese car group has been pushing to expand into overseas markets for past few years
www.ft.com
May 22, 2025 at 4:47 PM
number of fully electric cars sold in europe last month
tesla: 7,165
byd: 7,231
the chinese ev maker passing tesla for the first time
-ft/jato dynamics
tesla: 7,165
byd: 7,231
the chinese ev maker passing tesla for the first time
-ft/jato dynamics
“Those familiar with early briefings say Carney’s mindset seems to be: ‘How quickly can we do this? How do we accelerate? How do we show action?’ There’s a rigor to the way he thinks, and the system will have to adapt to keep up.“
policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...
policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...
Could ‘mission government’ solve Ottawa’s delivery problems?
Mark Carney’s government may adopt a focused “mission” model—but delivering results means reforming how Ottawa works.
policyoptions.irpp.org
May 10, 2025 at 5:49 PM
“Those familiar with early briefings say Carney’s mindset seems to be: ‘How quickly can we do this? How do we accelerate? How do we show action?’ There’s a rigor to the way he thinks, and the system will have to adapt to keep up.“
policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...
policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...
Reposted by David Ticoll
!!
About as many top AI researchers are leaving the US as those entering, according to Zeki data.
Reports: US losing edge in AI talent pool
About as many top AI researchers are leaving the country as those entering, according to Zeki data.
www.semafor.com
May 4, 2025 at 11:46 AM
!!
Reposted by David Ticoll
US & EU GDP data are now in, which means another update to my G7 GDP chart
Here's each country's cumulative increase in real GDP, since just before the pandemic:
🇺🇸 +12.9%
🇨🇦 +8.7% (thru Q4)
🇮🇹 +5.9%
🇫🇷 +3.7%
🇬🇧 +3.4% (thru Q4)
🇯🇵 +0.9% (thru Q4)
🇩🇪 +0.0%
Here's each country's cumulative increase in real GDP, since just before the pandemic:
🇺🇸 +12.9%
🇨🇦 +8.7% (thru Q4)
🇮🇹 +5.9%
🇫🇷 +3.7%
🇬🇧 +3.4% (thru Q4)
🇯🇵 +0.9% (thru Q4)
🇩🇪 +0.0%
May 4, 2025 at 12:36 PM
US & EU GDP data are now in, which means another update to my G7 GDP chart
Here's each country's cumulative increase in real GDP, since just before the pandemic:
🇺🇸 +12.9%
🇨🇦 +8.7% (thru Q4)
🇮🇹 +5.9%
🇫🇷 +3.7%
🇬🇧 +3.4% (thru Q4)
🇯🇵 +0.9% (thru Q4)
🇩🇪 +0.0%
Here's each country's cumulative increase in real GDP, since just before the pandemic:
🇺🇸 +12.9%
🇨🇦 +8.7% (thru Q4)
🇮🇹 +5.9%
🇫🇷 +3.7%
🇬🇧 +3.4% (thru Q4)
🇯🇵 +0.9% (thru Q4)
🇩🇪 +0.0%
Reposted by David Ticoll
I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.
May 4, 2025 at 6:21 AM
I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.
Reposted by David Ticoll
Advantage Liberal: What advanced modeling tells us about why the Liberals are winning
abacusdata.ca/2025-federal...
abacusdata.ca/2025-federal...
Advantage Liberal: What advanced modeling tells us about why the Liberals are winning - Abacus Data
%
abacusdata.ca
April 11, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Advantage Liberal: What advanced modeling tells us about why the Liberals are winning
abacusdata.ca/2025-federal...
abacusdata.ca/2025-federal...
I just signed the Pledge for Canada, initiated by @charlieangus104.bsky.social !
actionnetwork.org/petitions/pl...
actionnetwork.org/petitions/pl...
Sign the Pledge for Canada
This petition is intended as an invitation to Canadians to reflect on the current challenges Canada faces and what we can all do to respond to the risks and to contribute to building a more resilient ...
actionnetwork.org
February 3, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I just signed the Pledge for Canada, initiated by @charlieangus104.bsky.social !
actionnetwork.org/petitions/pl...
actionnetwork.org/petitions/pl...
Yes, let’s get it together Canada! 🇨🇦 www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Opinion: Jean Chrétien: Canadians will never give up the best country in the world to join the U.S.
The former prime minister says it’s time to enact a Plan B to handle Donald Trump’s outrageous threats
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 12, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Yes, let’s get it together Canada! 🇨🇦 www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
January 12, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Reposted by David Ticoll
my favorite new podcast. these guys are the best.
It's a good time to mention that Seth Benzell and I have a podcast called Justified Posteriors discussing the economics of AI and other technologies. Our latest episode considers @timobres.bsky.social's paper on AI and Aggregate Growth.
empiricrafting.substack.com/p/beyond-tas...
empiricrafting.substack.com/p/beyond-tas...
Beyond Task Replacement
Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Aggregate Growth Prospects by Tim Bresnahan
empiricrafting.substack.com
January 11, 2025 at 6:08 PM
my favorite new podcast. these guys are the best.
Reposted by David Ticoll
Kudos to @henriksaetre.bsky.social & @evanselinger.bsky.social for a brilliant paper on techno-solutionism. Read this if only for zingers: "Like everyone else, people in the tech industry can have complex inner lives and act for mixed reasons." [::giggle:: to "can"] link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Technological Remedies for Social Problems: Defining and Demarcating Techno-Fixes and Techno-Solutionism - Science and Engineering Ethics
Can technology resolve social problems by reducing them to engineering challenges? In the 1960s, Alvin Weinberg answered yes, popularizing the term “techno-fix” in the process. The concept was immedia...
link.springer.com
December 17, 2024 at 5:57 PM
Kudos to @henriksaetre.bsky.social & @evanselinger.bsky.social for a brilliant paper on techno-solutionism. Read this if only for zingers: "Like everyone else, people in the tech industry can have complex inner lives and act for mixed reasons." [::giggle:: to "can"] link.springer.com/article/10.1...
A spectacular - but not the only - example of Canada’s failures to harness socially relevant data in the public interest. Hopefully, as @picardonhealth.bsky.social suggests, we’ll get it right this time.
It’s more important than ever that health information systems speak to each other better. Lack of interoperability harms patients and is costly, by @picardonhealth.bsky.social
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... via @theglobeandmail.com #DigitalHealth
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... via @theglobeandmail.com #DigitalHealth
Opinion: It’s more important than ever that health information systems speak to each other better
Our inability to share data between providers and patients is causing harm and costing us money. Now, our chronic problem is becoming an even bigger one in the age of AI
www.theglobeandmail.com
December 18, 2024 at 12:46 AM
A spectacular - but not the only - example of Canada’s failures to harness socially relevant data in the public interest. Hopefully, as @picardonhealth.bsky.social suggests, we’ll get it right this time.
Daron Acemoglu nets out the challenges of our time in this remarkably brief Nobel acceptance speech (🧵)
Dear friends and followers, I'm sharing here the Nobel prize acceptance speech I gave on behalf of Simon Johnson, James Robinson and myself. Thank you everybody.
December 18, 2024 at 12:02 AM
Daron Acemoglu nets out the challenges of our time in this remarkably brief Nobel acceptance speech (🧵)
Reposted by David Ticoll
Great 🧵👌👇
Really excited about the new data on adult skills from the @oecd-ocde.bsky.social PIAAC study released earlier today! A 🧵 of some early observations… /1 #piaac2023
December 10, 2024 at 11:43 PM
Great 🧵👌👇