Education in the AI Economy: Microsoft AI Economy Institute supports Michael Impink’s research

Stephen Michael Impink, Assistant Professor of Strategy at HEC Paris, has been selected for the AI Economy Institute (AIEI)’s 2025 Fall Cohort, a Microsoft Research initiative focused this year on “Education in the AI Economy.” 

The AIEI’s second cohort examines how AI adoption spreads through education and work - from classrooms to early-career pathways - and what conditions help ensure the benefits of AI are broadly shared. The 2025 group brings together researchers from eight countries and multiple disciplines, reflecting the Institute’s focus on understanding diffusion of AI across economies, industries, and communities. 

Within the cohort’s theme “Opportunity, Education, and Work,” Impink’s project explores how digital tools can enable new forms of white-collar apprenticeship programs. The research assesses whether successful European models can be adapted for the United States and other developed markets, and highlights the policy risks of relying only on private investment in education, offering evidence to inform future workforce strategies. 

Impink is also affiliated with the Hi! PARIS Center for AI for Society and Business and Boston University’s TPRI. His research focuses on how digitization reshapes firm structure and performance. 

More information (full list of cohort researchers) here.