Fascinating paper on a timely question... kudos!!

With a few notable exceptions, I’m struck by how few funders are openly sharing what they’re learning from AI in decision-making.

What am I missing?

We’ve embedded this directly in our latest RFP. (screenshot 👇)

This is about experimentation, transparency, and learning—together with the research & funding community.

Here’s what “responsible” means to us:
➡️ AI augments—not replaces—human decision-making
➡️ New workflows that weren’t previously possible
➡️ Robust safeguards
➡️ A learning agenda to test key claims

That’s why @StanfordImpact is piloting responsible AI use in our funding processes.

Our goal: accelerate impact-focused science R&D.
✅ Faster decisions
✅ Lower costs
✅ Reduced burden on applicants

Right now:
⚠️ Many funders ban AI outright.
🙈 Others ignore it.
🤖 And slick AI vendors make bold, untested claims.

None of this felt right to me

Kudos @benjaminsmanning.bsky.social & @johnjhorton.bsky.social for this important contribution!

Not to mention, aiming to put your paper to use at scale with @expectedparrot.bsky.social 🦜 www.expectedparrot.com

my main concern is that these lab-style games don't mirror interventions at scale....

But they do provide a controlled testbed to explore whether underlying mechanisms generalize, and if mechanisms don't generalize, unlikely you're intervention will generalize either.

Now, go read the @nber.org paper! www.nber.org/papers/w34164
christopherneilson.github.io/work/Applica...

Authors: @anaisfabre.bsky.social at IFS; Chris Nielson @yaleeconomics.bsky.social; Ignacio Rios @utdallas.bsky.social; & Tomas Larroucau @arizonastateuni.bsky.social with collaborators at Chile’s Min of Education @mineducchile.bsky.social

Kudos to everyone involved!! 🎉

This wasn’t a one-off: the policy scaled nationwide with persistent enrollment gains—evidence that “designed-for-scale” information can work in real systems.

Results: previously unmatched students were 44% more likely to get an offer; placements into higher-ranked programs rose 20%

The intervention: show applicants tailored admission probabilities + program info + smart nudges (e.g., "don’t forget a safety school"). Delivered inside the application portal.

Link to @apoorvanyt.bsky.social NYT coverage: archive.ph/ct2o0

Link to study: nber.org/papers/w34152

Link to @give-directly.bsky.social summary: givedirectly.org/mortality2025/

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/h...

Policy takeaway: Pair income support with access to obstetric care.

Cost-effective, scalable complement to maternal/child health programs—and a great example of research that fuels real-world impact