A coalition of more than 200 economists and AI researchers—organizers included Stanford’s Erik Brynjolfsson and Rotman’s Ajay Agrawal, plus UVA economist Anton Korinek—issued a statement warning that AI capability is advancing faster than economists can assess its economic consequences. The group’s “We Must Act Now” message frames the next decade as a compressed window to build “incentives, guardrails, and institutions” before AI-driven disruption reshapes labor markets and growth patterns. It does not prescribe specific policies, but it explicitly calls for deeper research into AI’s economic effects. Nobel laureates Michael Spence and Daron Acemoglu joined the warning, emphasizing uncertainty and risk management rather than forecasting certainties. Korinek compared the adaptation pace to earlier industrial technologies, arguing AI may give societies only a few years to respond. For higher education, the statement lands as a direct prompt to align economics, business, and policy curricula with uncertainty: universities are likely to face rising demand for research, scenario planning, and workforce preparation tied to AI’s macro impacts.