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DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 3mo ago

🚨 Coming up at #VIDEseminar: Dokyun Lee (Boston University) “Scylla Ex Machina: The Illusion of LLMs as Human Surrogates” 🔜 Wed, May 27, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

ABSTRACT
Researchers and industry practitioners increasingly propose and deploy large language models (LLMs) as human surrogates, replacing human surveys with synthetic LLM counterparts in behavioral experiments, focus group studies, political polling, and more. These approaches share a common premise: collect limited human data, then fine-tune or prompt LLMs to impute unobserved preferences or behaviors across tasks and populations, attempting to leverage the vast pretrained knowledge encoded within LLMs. However, LLM intelligence is a fundamentally different form of intelligence from that of humans, relying on probabilistic patterns from vast, noisy, and epistemically contaminated data and lacking the embodied experience and survival-driven objective functions that shape human cognition and behavior. Human behavior is heterogeneous, idiosyncratic, and often unstable, making it fundamentally different from the types of systems that traditional digital twins are designed to model. This talk critically examines the pitfalls of using LLMs as human surrogates, highlighting key failure modes, foundational theoretical limitations, and core empirical dilemmas, and situates these concerns within the emerging body of evidence drawn from a handful of studies.

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 4mo ago

🚨 Coming up at #VIDEseminar: Joshua Gans (Rotman School, University of Toronto) “How to Train Your AI When Humans Matter” 🔜 Wed, April 8, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

Hannes Ullrich @hannesullrich.com · 4mo ago

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: submit your digital health economics papers and abstracts by April 6! More info here: www.digitalhealthecon.org

Hannes Ullrich@hannesullrich.com · 5mo ago

Call for Papers! The 3rd Workshop Applied Economics in Digital Health will take place at HPI, Potsdam, 2-3 July 2026. Submission deadline on March 30. Exciting keynote, diverse academic program and policy discussions! Further info: www.digitalhealthecon.org @arieldora.bsky.social @simonreif.eu

Hannes Ullrich @hannesullrich.com · 5mo ago

Call for Papers! The 3rd Workshop Applied Economics in Digital Health will take place at HPI, Potsdam, 2-3 July 2026. Submission deadline on March 30. Exciting keynote, diverse academic program and policy discussions! Further info: www.digitalhealthecon.org @arieldora.bsky.social @simonreif.eu

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 5mo ago

🚨 Coming up at #VIDEseminar: Ginger Zhe Jin (University of Maryland) “Does Generative AI Crowd Out Human Creators? Evidence from Pixiv” 🔜 Wed, March 4, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

Does Generative AI Crowd Out Human Creators? Evidence from Pixiv

Sueyoul Kim, Ginger Zhe Jin, and Eungik Lee

Abstract:
Using a comprehensive dataset of posts from a major platform for anime- and manga-style artwork, we study the impact of the launch of a prominent text-to-image generative AI. Focusing on the majority of incumbent creators who do not adopt AI as a primary tool, we show that the AI launch led to a significant decline in post uploads by illustrators, whereas comic artists were less affected, reflecting the need for tight stylistic alignment across sequential images in comics. We present empirical evidence for two underlying mechanisms. First, illustration posts experience a loss of viewer attention, measured by bookmarks, following the AI launch, which can significantly harm creators’ business models. Second, direct competition from AI-generated content plays an important role: illustrators working on intellectual properties (IPs, such as Pokémon) that are more heavily invaded by AI reduce their uploads disproportionately more. We further examine creators’ responses and show that illustrators with greater exposure to AI avoid using tags favored by AI-generated content after the AI launch and broaden the range of IPs they work on, consistent with a risk-hedging response to AI invasion.

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 5mo ago

🚨 Coming up at #VIDEseminar: Ginger Zhe Jin (University of Maryland) “Does Generative AI Crowd Out Human Creators? Evidence from Pixiv” 🔜 Wed, March 4, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 6mo ago

🚨 Coming up at #VIDEseminar: David Reiley (University of California, Berkeley) “Long or Short? Personalizing Ad Length and Frequency” 🔜 Wed, February 4, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

Paper title: Long or Short? Personalizing Ad Length and Frequency

Authors: Ali Goli (University of Rochester), David Reiley (UC Berkeley), Wenfeng Qiu (Sirius XM Holdings Inc.), Jonas Tungodden (Norwegian School of Economics)

Abstract
We study the economics of advertising length using a large-scale randomized experiment on 18.3 million Pandora listeners. The experiment promoted a listening feature and randomly assigned users to advertising campaigns that varied in ad format (10 vs. 30 seconds) and frequency. For both users unfamiliar with the feature and those already familiar, we document that both ad formats generate incremental effects, with the relative advantage of long over short ads substantially larger among unfamiliar users. We then build a machine learning model to capture heterogeneity in both responsiveness to the campaign and realized exposure levels, and conduct off-policy evaluation of alternative campaign designs. We find that a personalized policy that optimally assigns users across the available experimental conditions, choosing the ad format and frequency for each user, increases incremental ad effects by about 30 percent. Two-thirds of this efficiency gain comes from leveraging heterogeneity in exposure rather than heterogeneity in responsiveness to the campaign.

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 6mo ago

The Spring 2026 VIDE seminar schedule is up! Further information and mailing list sign-up at: www.digitalecon.org

Schedule - Spring 2026

Wednesday, February 4 - David Reiley (UC Berkeley)
Long or Short? Personalizing Ad Length and Frequency (with Ali Goli, Jonas Tungodden and Wenfeng Qiu)

Wednesday, March 4 - Ginger Zhe Jin (U of Maryland)
TBD

Wednesday, April 8 - Joshua Gans (U of Toronto Rotman)
TBD

Wednesday, May 6 - Dokyun Lee (Boston U)
Take caution in using LLMs as human surrogates: Scylla Ex Machina

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 8mo ago

🚨 Coming up at #VIDEseminar: Jeff Prince (Kelley School, Indiana University) “How Have Smartphones Changed the Structure of Online Content Consumption?” 🔜 Wed, December 3, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

Screen shot of front page of paper

Paper title: How Have Smartphones Changed the Structure of Online Content Consumption?
Authors: Hong Lee, Jeffrey Prince, and Shane Greenstein
Date: July 2025
Abstract:
Smartphones have become the primary medium for consuming online content globally. Despite this significant change in how content is consumed, little is known about whether and how the introduction of mobile devices as a means of online content consumption, in addition to home computers, has impacted the way content is consumed. In this paper, we empirically analyze the distribution of session lengths and the variety of online consumption for both mobile devices and home computers. The analyses utilize data on home computer consumption in 2008 and 2019, as well as data on mobile consumption from 2019. We find little change in the variety of consumption on home computers between 2008 and 2019. It also shows that mobile platforms are associated with shorter, more frequent sessions and more concentrated consumption patterns compared to home devices. As users spend more time online via mobile devices, they tend to focus on a limited set of high-utility apps or websites, resulting in reduced variety compared to home computer usage. Taken together, the results suggest that the introduction of smartphones had little effect on the allocation patterns of home computer consumption, while encouraging a more concentrated pattern of use on mobile devices.

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 9mo ago

#VIDEseminar is coming up tomorrow! 👇

DigitalEcon.org@digitalecon.org · 9mo ago

🚨 Coming up at #VIDEseminar: Julie Holland Mortimer (Wash U) “The Effect of Ad-Supported Plans on Content Offerings of Streaming Platforms” 🔜 Wed, November 5, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

ABSTRACT
We examine how the shift of streaming platforms to an advertiser-supported revenue model affects their content offerings and consumers. This shift forces platforms to adjust their content strategies, though the direction is unclear.
Platforms may aim to increase ad impressions by offering content that appeals to a broad audience, thereby driving up viewership. Alternatively, they may seek to increase the value of impressions by targeting niche audiences, who are typically more valuable to advertisers. These changes also impact consumers: while they generally dislike ads, consumers might benefit from adjusted content offerings if aligning with their preferences. We plan to answer this question using data on content offerings of platforms and consumer viewership.

Daniel Ershov @ershovd.bsky.social · 9mo ago

🚨🚨Update: for the next @cepr.org -IO gathering on NOV 7, 2025 at 2PM CET, we've got a great set of IO job candidates lined up to give 10min versions of their JMP talks and then discuss them with audience members. Please like, repost/reshare, and register here: forms.gle/QTKETdgQq9j1...

Centre for Economic Policy Research@cepr.org · 10mo ago

📢 #CallForPapers - CEPR-IO Virtual Gathering Interested PhD candidates attending European universities are invited to submit a draft of their job market paper by 26 October for consideration to present at the next CEPR-IO virtual gathering. More information: cepr.org/events/cepr-... #EconSky

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 9mo ago

🚨 Coming up at #VIDEseminar: Julie Holland Mortimer (Wash U) “The Effect of Ad-Supported Plans on Content Offerings of Streaming Platforms” 🔜 Wed, November 5, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 10mo ago

The next #VIDEseminar talk will be coming up tomorrow! 👇

DigitalEcon.org@digitalecon.org · 10mo ago

🚨 Coming up at #VIDEseminar: Pinar Yildirim (Wharton School) @profyildirim.bsky.social “Artificial Intelligence in Team Dynamics: Who Gets Replaced and Why?” 🔜 Wed, October 8, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 10mo ago

🚨 Coming up at #VIDEseminar: Pinar Yildirim (Wharton School) @profyildirim.bsky.social “Artificial Intelligence in Team Dynamics: Who Gets Replaced and Why?” 🔜 Wed, October 8, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 11mo ago

The Fall 2025 VIDE seminar schedule is up! Further information and mailing list sign-up at: www.digitalecon.org

Schedule - Fall 2025

- Wednesday, September 3 - Jin-Hyuk Kim (Colorado Boulder)
Platform Screening, Investor Learning, and Default Risk in Marketplace Lending (with Peter Newberry and Nick Vikander)

- Wednesday, October 8 - Pinar Yildirim (U Penn Wharton)
TBD

- Wednesday, November 5 - Julie Holland Mortimer (Wash U)
The Effect of Ad-Supported Plans on Content Offerings of Streaming Platforms (with Sylvia Hristakeva, Ashwin Nair, and Yihao Yuan)

- Wednesday, December 3 - Jeff Prince (Indiana Business School)
TBD

Diane Coyle @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social · last yr.

Call for papers, 4th UK Workshop on Digital Economics, London 28 November 2025: competitionpolicy.ac.uk/events/4th-w... This is always a great event

Centre for Competition Policy

High quality independent research into competition policy and regulation

competitionpolicy.ac.uk

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · last yr.

🚨Coming up at #VIDEseminar this week: Garrett Johnson (Boston University) “Privacy-Enhanced versus Traditional Retargeting: Ad Effectiveness in an Industry-Wide Field Experiment” 🔜 Wed, May 7, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Further information: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · last yr.

🚨Coming up at #VIDEseminar: Alessandro Acquisti (CMU) “An Experimental Infrastructure to Investigate the Impact of Online Tracking, Targeting, and Advertising on Consumer Behavior and Consumer Welfare” 🔜 Wed, April 2, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Info: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · last yr.

First was an excellent talk by Shane Greenstein on effects of co-invention investment in web 2.0/mobile apps for radio stations at @digitalecon.org. I can't express how refreshing it is to hear a talk focused on a tech transition that we have good visibility on www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKSu... (2/5)

Shane Greenstein - New Economic Forces Behind the Value Distribution of Innovation (5 March 2025)

YouTube video by VIDE Seminar

youtube.com

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · last yr.

🚨Coming up next week at #VIDEseminar: Shane Greenstein (HBS) “New Economic Forces Behind the Value Distribution of Innovation” 🔜 Wed, March 5, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Info & mailing list: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · last yr.

🚨Coming up next week at #VIDEseminar: Shane Greenstein (HBS) “New Economic Forces Behind the Value Distribution of Innovation” 🔜 Wed, March 5, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Open to anyone! Info & mailing list: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

Simon Reif @simonreif.social · last yr.

📣📝 #CallforPapers: I will organize this years "Applied #Economics in #DigitalHealth" Workshop, 5th/6th June 2025 in Mannheim, Germany together with @hannesullrich.com and Ariel Stern! Check out the CfP here: drive.google.com/file/d/10p7y...

CfP_DigiHealth_2025.pdf

drive.google.com

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · last yr.

First Spring 2025 VIDE seminar presented by @jwaldfog.bsky.social in half an hour (today, Feb 5)! Paper and seminar series sign up at our main page: www.digitalecon.org/seminar

DigitalEcon.org@digitalecon.org · 2y ago

The Spring 2025 VIDE seminar schedule is coming up with the first talk in two weeks on Wednesday, February 5! Further information and mailing list sign-up at: www.digitalecon.org

Schedule - Spring 2025

- Wednesday, February 5 - Joel Waldfogel (University of Minnesota)
Information and the welfare benefits from differentiated products (with Imke Reimers and Christoph Riedl)

- Wednesday, March 5 - Shane Greenstein (Harvard Business School)
New Economic Forces Behind the Value Distribution of Innovation (with Timothy Bresnahan and Pai-Ling Yin)

- Wednesday, April 2 - Alessandro Acquisti (Carnegie Mellon University)
An Experimental Infrastructure to Investigate the Impact of Online Tracking, Targeting, and Advertising on Consumer Behavior and Consumer Welfare

- Wednesday, May 7 - Garrett Johnson (Boston University)
Privacy-Enhanced versus Traditional Retargeting: Ad Effectiveness in an Industry-Wide Field Experiment (with Shunto Kobayashi and Zhengroung Gu)

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 2y ago

The Spring 2025 VIDE seminar schedule is coming up with the first talk in two weeks on Wednesday, February 5! Further information and mailing list sign-up at: www.digitalecon.org

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 2y ago

🚨Call for Papers🚨 The next Digital Economy Workshop will take place in Berlin on March 23-25, 2025 It brings together researchers from economics, information systems, law, marketing, strategy, and related fields who study #digitization. Paper submission & info: www.digitalecon.org/workshop/ber...

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 2y ago

🚨The next #VIDEseminar is coming up this week! Matthew Gentzkow (Stanford University) will speak on “Sources of Market Power in Web Search: Evidence from a Field Experiment” Wednesday, November 6, 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Further info & mailing list: www.digitalecon.org/seminar #EconSky 📉📈

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 2y ago

🚨 The next #VIDEseminar is coming up this week on Wednesday, October 2 Julia Cagé (Sciences Po Paris) will speak on “Fact-Checking and Misinformation. Evidence from the Market Leader” 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Schedule & mailing list: www.digitalecon.org/seminar #EconSky 📉📈

DigitalEcon.org @digitalecon.org · 2y ago

🚨 The next #VIDEseminar is coming up this week on Wednesday, October 2 Julia Cagé (Sciences Po Paris) will speak on “Fact-Checking and Misinformation. Evidence from the Market Leader” 11am New York, 5pm Berlin. Schedule & mailing list: www.digitalecon.org/seminar #EconSky 📉📈