From the director: Accountability in the age of AI

I recently had a conversation with a leader in the architecture field. As I do with almost everyone at this point, I asked how they were using AI and whether they thought it was shaping work in their area. His answer was clear and striking. He said architects do two things: They design buildings, and they take accountability for the safety of those designs. AI is rapidly contributing to the first part of the job, but he saw accountability as something that meant humans would remain key to the process.

This has obvious connections to the research we support and produce at the Institute. AI is quickly becoming an essential part of research, helping economists and other experts analyze data, solve equations, and communicate findings much more rapidly. But at the end of the day, who is responsible for ensuring that the research is credible?

Ultimately, that accountability sits with researchers and the organizations that support them. In studying a complex set of human interactions, like the U.S. economy, researchers have to make choices—about what data are best when all are limited, which assumptions to accept when simplifying the economy, and whether past studies apply to new situations.

Researchers are ultimately accountable for those choices.

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In For All, we are accountable for the information we share with you. How do we ensure that we are providing research you can feel confident about using? Two ways. First, we feature research that has a strong connection to the Institute. It comes from scholars who have spent time here, Federal Reserve colleagues, and our own staff researchers. Second, we put all our For All publications through a human fact-checking process, working to ensure we’ve correctly summarized research and that new facts can be reproduced.

We are quickly heading to a future where words and figures on a page could easily be created by anyone. With Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute research, we have humans in the loop who stand behind their work. We’re glad you’re taking time to dive into that work. If you know someone who’s looking for a resource to trust, I hope you’ll share this issue with them.

This article is featured in the Fall 2026 issue of For All, the magazine of the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute