Adam Smith’s Lessons for Investors in the Age of AI
TL;DR
In this episode of Merryn Talks Money, host Merryn Somerset Webb is joined by Bloomberg Senior Reporter John Stepek, Schroders Head of Strategic Research Duncan Lamont and Nelsons Chairman and Creative Scotland Chair Robert Wilson for a special roundtable recorded at Panmure House during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Marking 250 years since the publication of The Wealth of Nations, they ask what Adam Smith can teach the world about artificial intelligence, government intervention and investing.
Nauti's Take
Applying economic classics to AI sounds like op-ed filler, yet the frame holds up: Smith's question about trust as the foundation of markets lands close to what generative models are currently eroding. The opportunity for investors is measuring AI bets against real productivity gains instead of narratives.
The risk is that a podcast roundtable replaces no valuation discipline, and record highs rarely get cheaper through good analogies.
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