Artificial intelligence could spark 'radical' economic boom, according to new research

From Amazon's Alexa learning which restaurants its users like, to Apple's iPhone predicting the next word in a text message, artificial intelligence (AI) is already having a significant influence on everyday life. But Northwestern economist Benjamin Jones and his colleagues are now asking what happens to economic growth if artificial intelligence starts generating original thought. They are among the researchers looking at how much more human work AI can automate, including the generation of new ideas. "If machine learning can really take over all human tasks and take over ideas of innovation, then it would be possible to get a radical change in the growth rate" of the economy, Jones told CNBC in an interview. "But the real question is going to be: can AI take over all of the essential tasks?"