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Robert Seamans

Economics & Finance

Robert Seamans

Professor of Management, New York University Stern School of Business

Robert Seamans is Professor of Management at New York University’s (NYU) Stern School of Business where he teaches courses in game theory and strategy.

Professor Seamans’ research focuses on how firms use technology in their strategic interactions with each other, and also focuses on the economic consequences of AI, robotics and other advanced technologies.

His research has been published in leading academic journals and been cited in numerous outlets including The Atlantic, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and others.

Professor Seamans is also Director of the Center for the Future of Management.

In 2015, Professor Seamans was appointed as the Senior Economist for technology and innovation on President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers.

TEACHING: Executive MBA Game Theory, NYU Stern (2017-present); MBA Game Theory, NYU Stern (2014-present); MSBA Data Driven Decision Making, NYU Stern (2018-present); Undergrad Game Theory, NYU Stern (2010- present); Executive MBA Strategy, NYU Stern (2018); MSRM AI and Risk Management, NYU Stern (2021, 2022, 2023); MSFT AI and Risk Management, NYU Stern (2024); MBA Strategic Management of AI, NYU Stern (2019, 2020, 2021); MBA Strategy, NYU Stern (2017); MBA Competitive Strategy, NYU Stern (2017); MBA Corporate Strategy, NYU Stern (2009-2014, 2017, 2021); • Mini-cases developed: 5-Hour Energy Drink, Franchising, Disney, Marvel, J&J’s Credo.

Education
Ph.D. Business Administration, University of California, Berkeley · M.A. Economics, Boston University · M.B.A Business, Yale University · B.A. English, Reed College

In the Encyclopedia1

Selected publications14

  1. 2025Erik Brynjolfsson, Catherine Buffington, Nathan Goldschlag, Frank Li, Javier Miranda and Robert Seamans. 2025. The Characteristics and Geographic Distribution of Robot Hubs in U.S. Manufacturing Establishments. AEA Papers & Proceedings, 115.
  2. 2024Edward Felten, Manav Raj and Robert Seamans. 2024. Occupational Heterogeneity in Exposure to Generative AI. Communications of the ACM, 67(8): 29-32.
  3. 2024Qiren Liu, Sen Luo and Robert Seamans. 2024. Pain or Anxiety? The Health Consequence of Robot Adoption in China. Economics Letters. 236 (March 2024): 111582.
  4. 2024Eunhee Sohn, Robert Seamans and Daniel Sands. 2024. Technological Opportunity and the Locus of Innovation: Airmail, Aircraft, and Local Capabilities. Strategic Management Journal, 45(1): 3-35.
  5. 2023Justin Berg, Manav Raj and Robert Seamans. 2023. Capturing Value from Artificial Intelligence. Academy of Management Discoveries, 9(4): 424-428.
  6. 2023Rachel Atkins, Pablo Hernandez-Lagos, Cristian Jara-Figueroa and Robert Seamans. 2023. What is the Impact of Opportunity Zones on Job Postings? Journal of Urban Economics, 136: 103545
  7. 2023Erik Brynjolfsson, Catherine Buffington, Nathan Goldschlag, Frank Li, Javier Miranda and Robert Seamans. 2023. Robot Hubs: The Skewed Distribution of Robots in U.S. Manufacturing AEA Papers & Proceedings, 113: 215-218.
  8. 2023Colombari, Ruggero, Aldo Geuna, Susan Helper, Raphael Martins, Emilio Paolucci, Riccardo Ricci, and Robert Seamans. 2023. The interplay between data-driven decision-making and digitalization: A firm-level survey of the Italian and US automotive industries. International Journal of Production Economics 255: 108718.
  9. 2022James Bessen, Michael Impink and Robert Seamans. 2022. The Role of Data for AI Startup Growth. Research Policy, 51(5): 104513
  10. 2022Rachel Atkins, Lisa Cook and Robert Seamans. 2022. Discrimination in Lending? Evidence from the Paycheck Protection Program. Small Business Economics, 58(2): 843-865.
  11. 2022Rachel Atkins, Lisa Cook and Robert Seamans. 2022. Using Technology to Tackle Discrimination in Lending. AEA Papers & Proceedings, 112: 296-298.
  12. 2022James Bessen, Michael Impink and Robert Seamans. 2022. The Cost of Ethical AI Development for Startups. Proceedings of 2022 ACM Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Society
  13. 2021Ed Felten, Manav Raj and Robert Seamans. 2021. Occupational, Industry, and Geographic Exposure to Artificial Intelligence: A Novel Dataset and Its Potential Uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12): 2195-2217.
  14. Frank Nagle, Robert Seamans and Steve Tadelis. Forthcoming. Transaction Cost Economics in the Digital Economy: A Research Agenda. Strategic Organization.

Positions & affiliations14

  • New York University, Stern School of Business (2009 - Present)
  • White House Council of Economic Advisers (2015 – 2016)
  • Accenture Research, Thought Leadership Advisory Council (2020 - Present)
  • Brookings Institution, Non-Resident Senior Fellow (2022 - Present)
  • Brookings Institution, Member of the Productivity Measurement Initiative (2018 - Present)
  • Center for Democracy & Technology, Non-resident Fellow (2022 - 2023)
  • Princeton University Affiliate at the Center for IT Policy (2018 - 2019)
  • Research Interests
  • AI & Robots
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Innovation
  • Game Theory
  • Strategy
  • Technology

Honours & awards26

  • Runner-up for Best Paper Award, Israel Strategy Conference, 2022
  • Nominated for Best Paper, Strategic Management Society 2017
  • Runner-up for Best Paper Published in Management Science, 2015
  • Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, 2013, 2015, 2018
  • Best Paper for Practice Implications, Strategic Management Society 2013
  • Runner-up for Best Paper Award, Strategic Management Society 2013
  • BPS Distinguished Paper Award, Academy of Management 2013
  • Kauffman Firm Survey Best Paper Award, Strategic Management Society 2011
  • Kauffman Foundation Promising Paper Award, 2011
  • Best Dissertation in Competition Policy, UC Berkeley, 2010
  • Hayase Award for Service to PhD Students, 2007
  • Smith Richardson Foundation Grant for Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work Research (co-PI with Callen Anthony) (2024) ($400,000)
  • Tides Foundation (Google.org) Gift for Economics of AI Research (2019) ($250,000)
  • National Science Foundation (NSF) EAGER Grant for Robotics Research (2017) ($100,738)
  • Kauffman Foundation Grant for Economics of Robotics Research (2017) ($95,000)
  • William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Grant for Economics of Robotics Research (2017) ($53,600)
  • NBER Innovation Policy Research Grant (2017) ($10,000)
  • Kauffman Foundation Grant for CCC Doctoral Conference at NYU (2015) ($25,000)
  • Kauffman Foundation Junior Faculty Fellowship Grant (2013-14) ($40,000)
  • NBER Grant for Summer Entrepreneurship Boot Camp (2009) ($1,000)
  • NET Institute Summer Research Grants (2008, 2010, 2013, 2014) ($4,500 - $6,000)
  • American Public Power Association Student Research Grant (2006) ($2,000)
  • UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Schwabacher Dissertation Fellowship (2008-09)
  • California Management Review Doctoral Student Fellowship (2007-08)
  • Kauffman Foundation Fellowship for Summer Entrepreneurship Studies (2007)
  • UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Graduate Fellowships (2004-06)