A leading Stanford researcher and director of the Digital Economy Lab argued that measured productivity gains tied to AI surged in 2025 and that the economy is moving from an investment phase into a measurable 'harvest phase.' Erik Brynjolfsson cited revised Bureau of Labor Statistics job data and his own analysis estimating roughly 2.7% productivity growth in 2025. The claim comes amid debate among economists—Apollo’s Torsten Slok warns macro data still lacks clear AI signal—which matters for university research priorities, public funding for computing infrastructure, and campus workforce planning.