Daniel Rock

We’re already seeing the impacts of powerful new artificial intelligence systems on the economy and the workforce.

According to Daniel Rock, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, leveraging AI has quickly become a business must in order to compete effectively.

With an accessible primer on the evolving effects of AI on finance, employment and productivity, Rock mobilizes organizations to harness the great potential of artificial intelligence.

“This set of new technologies present an absolutely massive opportunity,” explains Rock, CTO of Workhelix, a workforce AI startup he co-founded with Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee. “But it’s not an opportunity that comes for free, you need to work to unlock the benefits of what’s coming.”

A unique digital strategy authority, Rock is an economist who studies artificial intelligence. This combination of expertise enables him to leverage an engineering mindset with his background in financial markets.

“Getting down to the underlying algorithms that are used to train AI is the best way to understand what the economics of the models are going to be,” explains Rock, a former algorithmic trader at DRW Trading.

Equipped to get leaders up to speed on the economics of AI, Rock helps organizations act now to bolster their company’s margins for years to come.

How a Sound AI Strategy Can Empower Your Future Workforce

Between automation, augmentation, upskilling and reskilling, it’s hard to keep up with all the catchphrases around AI and the future of work. Rock doesn’t believe AI will become the wholesale labor market disruptor some predict, but he stresses the importance of identifying thoughtful implementation strategies that will lead toward an empowering AI-enabled future.

“There isn’t much evidence that AI is going to start running the table and creating enormous, widespread labor disruption,” Rock points out. “But it’s important to let employees experiment with AI now to set them up to use it safely and securely in their job functions.”

Spotlighting the types of occupations most exposed to disruption by machine learning, measuring the value of AI skillsets and reframing productivity growth, Rock shares practical tools for zeroing in on the best workplace uses for technologies like generative and agentic AI.

With a down-to-earth, engaging presence, his framework that supports both tech-enabled organizational efficiency and workforce-friendly job models allows organizations to create strategic, financially sound AI investment and deployment initiatives.

“My goal is to generate a call to action that this is not a time to be complacent, but a time to roll up your sleeves,” Rock concludes. “The rewards for doing so are enormous.”

Daniel Rock, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His research on the economic effects of digital technologies, with a particular emphasis on the economics of artificial intelligence, has been published in various academic journals and featured in outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Harvard Business Review, and Sloan Management Review. Much of Rock’s work involves applying cutting-edge data science techniques to analyze datasets from financial market data sources, online resume sites and job postings.

Rock received his B.S. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Between undergraduate and graduate studies, he worked as an Algorithmic Trader at DRW Trading.

Daniel Rock is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.