IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/h/nbr/nberch/15305.html

An Economy of AI Agents

In: The Economics of Transformative AI

Author

Listed:
  • Gillian K. Hadfield
  • Andrew Koh

Abstract

No abstract is available for this item.

Suggested Citation

  • Gillian K. Hadfield & Andrew Koh, 2025. "An Economy of AI Agents," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Transformative AI, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:15305
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.nber.org/chapters/c15305.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alchian, Armen A & Demsetz, Harold, 1972. "Production , Information Costs, and Economic Organization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 62(5), pages 777-795, December.
    2. Dirk Bergemann & Stephen Morris, 2013. "Robust Predictions in Games With Incomplete Information," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 81(4), pages 1251-1308, July.
    3. Bergemann, Dirk & Bonatti, Alessandro & Smolin, Alex, 2025. "The Economics of Large Language Models: Token Allocation, Fine-Tuning, and Optimal Pricing," TSE Working Papers 25-1670, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    4. Tennenholtz, Moshe, 2004. "Program equilibrium," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 363-373, November.
    5. Chen, Jun & Elliott, Matthew & Koh, Andrew, 2023. "Capability accumulation and conglomeratization in the information age," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    6. Grossman, Sanford J & Hart, Oliver D, 1986. "The Costs and Benefits of Ownership: A Theory of Vertical and Lateral Integration," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(4), pages 691-719, August.
    7. Ibrahim Abada & Xavier Lambin, 2023. "Artificial Intelligence: Can Seemingly Collusive Outcomes Be Avoided?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(9), pages 5042-5065, September.
    8. Stephanie Assad & Robert Clark & Daniel Ershov & Lei Xu, 2024. "Algorithmic Pricing and Competition: Empirical Evidence from the German Retail Gasoline Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 132(3), pages 723-771.
    9. John J. Horton, 2023. "Large Language Models as Simulated Economic Agents: What Can We Learn from Homo Silicus?," NBER Working Papers 31122, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Justin P. Johnson & Andrew Rhodes & Matthijs Wildenbeest, 2023. "Platform Design When Sellers Use Pricing Algorithms," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 91(5), pages 1841-1879, September.
    11. Jonathan Levin, 2003. "Relational Incentive Contracts," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(3), pages 835-857, June.
    12. repec:cwl:cwldpp:1821rrr is not listed on IDEAS
    13. D. Fudenberg & D. K. Levine, 2017. "Whither game theory? Towards a theory oflearning in games," Voprosy Ekonomiki, NP Voprosy Ekonomiki, issue 5.
    14. Andrei Kirilenko & Albert S. Kyle & Mehrdad Samadi & Tugkan Tuzun, 2017. "The Flash Crash: High-Frequency Trading in an Electronic Market," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(3), pages 967-998, June.
    15. Chaim Fershtman & Kenneth L. Judd, 2006. "Equilibrium Incentives in Oligopoly: Corrigendum," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(4), pages 1367-1367, September.
    16. Patrick Bajari & Victor Chernozhukov & Ali Hortaçsu & Junichi Suzuki, 2019. "The Impact of Big Data on Firm Performance: An Empirical Investigation," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 109, pages 33-37, May.
    17. George Baker & Robert Gibbons & Kevin J. Murphy, 2002. "Relational Contracts and the Theory of the Firm," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(1), pages 39-84.
    18. Jean-Jacques Laffont & Jean Tirole, 1993. "A Theory of Incentives in Procurement and Regulation," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262121743, December.
    19. Zach Y. Brown & Alexander MacKay, 2023. "Competition in Pricing Algorithms," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 15(2), pages 109-156, May.
    20. John J. Horton, 2023. "Large Language Models as Simulated Economic Agents: What Can We Learn from Homo Silicus?," Papers 2301.07543, arXiv.org.
    21. Maryam Farboodi & Laura Veldkamp, 2021. "A Model of the Data Economy," NBER Working Papers 28427, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    22. Birger Wernerfelt, 1984. "A resource‐based view of the firm," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(2), pages 171-180, April.
    23. Emilio Calvano & Giacomo Calzolari & Vincenzo Denicolò & Sergio Pastorello, 2020. "Artificial Intelligence, Algorithmic Pricing, and Collusion," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(10), pages 3267-3297, October.
    24. Nikhil Agarwal & Alex Moehring & Alexander Wolitzky, 2025. "Designing Human-AI Collaboration: A Sufficient-Statistic Approach," NBER Working Papers 33949, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    25. Greif, Avner & Milgrom, Paul & Weingast, Barry R, 1994. "Coordination, Commitment, and Enforcement: The Case of the Merchant Guild," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 102(4), pages 745-776, August.
    26. Michihiro Kandori, 1992. "Social Norms and Community Enforcement," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 59(1), pages 63-80.
    27. Steven Tadelis, 2002. "The Market for Reputations as an Incentive Mechanism," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 110(4), pages 854-882, August.
    28. Benjamin Golub & Matthew Elliott, 2022. "Networks and Economic Fragility," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 14(1), pages 665-696, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gillian K. Hadfield & Andrew Koh, 2025. "An Economy of AI Agents," Papers 2509.01063, arXiv.org.
    2. James M. Malcomson, 2012. "Relational Incentive Contracts [The Handbook of Organizational Economics]," Introductory Chapters,, Princeton University Press.
    3. Bergemann, Dirk & Bonatti, Alessandro & Wu, Nicholas, 2025. "Bidding with budgets: Data-driven bid algorithms in digital advertising," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    4. Hangcheng Zhao & Ron Berman, 2025. "Algorithmic Collusion of Pricing and Advertising on E-commerce Platforms," Papers 2508.08325, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2025.
    5. Nicholas Argyres & Janet Bercovitz & Giorgio Zanarone, 2020. "The role of relationship scope in sustaining relational contracts in interfirm networks," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(2), pages 222-245, February.
    6. Harrington, Joseph E., 2024. "The effect of demand variability on the adoption and design of a third party’s pricing algorithm," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    7. John Asker & Chaim Fershtman & Ariel Pakes, 2024. "The impact of artificial intelligence design on pricing," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 276-304, March.
    8. Radygin Alexandr & Entov Revold & Apevalova E. & Shvetsov P., 2008. "Market Discipline and Contracts: Theory, Empiric Analysis, Law," Research Paper Series, Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, issue 117P.
    9. Zexin Ye, 2025. "Algorithmic Collusion under Observed Demand Shocks," Papers 2502.15084, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2025.
    10. Luis Rayo, 2002. "Relational Team Incentives and Ownership," Theory workshop papers 357966000000000087, UCLA Department of Economics.
    11. Kaede Hanazawa, 2025. "Welfare Effects of Self-Preferencing by a Platform: Empirical Evidence from Airbnb," Papers 2503.04489, arXiv.org.
    12. Gibbons, Robert, 2005. "Four forma(lizable) theories of the firm?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 200-245, October.
    13. Peter G. Klein & Michael E. Sykuta, 2010. "Editors’ Introduction," Chapters, in: Peter G. Klein & Michael E. Sykuta (ed.), The Elgar Companion to Transaction Cost Economics, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Kim, Jongwook & Mahoney, Joseph T., 2008. "A Strategic Theory of the Firm as a Nexus of Incomplete Contracts: A Property Rights Approach," Working Papers 08-0108, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Business.
    15. Cremer, Jacques & Khalil, Fahad, 1992. "Gathering Information before Signing a Contract," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(3), pages 566-578, June.
    16. W. Bentley MacLeod, 2006. "Reputations, Relationships and the Enforcement of Incomplete Contracts," CESifo Working Paper Series 1730, CESifo.
    17. Terry A. Taylor & Erica L. Plambeck, 2007. "Simple Relational Contracts to Motivate Capacity Investment: Price Only vs. Price and Quantity," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 9(1), pages 94-113, January.
    18. Ozdenoren, Emre & Rubanov, Oleg, 2022. "Profit Sharing and Incentives," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    19. Deffains, Bruno & Demougin, Dominique M., 2006. "Governance: Who controls matters," SFB 649 Discussion Papers 2006-053, Humboldt University Berlin, Collaborative Research Center 649: Economic Risk.
    20. Samuelson, Larry & Stacchetti, Ennio, 2017. "Even up: Maintaining relationships," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 170-217.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:15305. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/nberrus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.