Papers
9
Total Citations
586
H-Index
8
About
Zachary Kroff is an economist whose research sits at the intersection of technology adoption, automation, and firm-level dynamics in the United States. Drawing extensively on large-scale administrative data — particularly the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Business Survey (ABS) — Kroff has made foundational contributions to our empirical understanding of how American firms adopt and deploy advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation tools. His most influential work introduced and leveraged new ABS survey modules to document patterns of technology adoption across hundreds of thousands of U.S. firms. His landmark study on AI adoption (96+ citations) examined the early diffusion of five AI-related technologies — from machine learning to natural language processing — revealing that adoption remains concentrated among a relatively small share of firms. His research on automation and the workforce (85+ citations) extended this analysis across all economic sectors, providing one of the most comprehensive firm-level portraits of automation in America to date. Kroff has also advanced the methodological conversation around causality, demonstrating that technology adopters are systematically larger and faster-growing even before adoption, complicating simple causal interpretations. With cumulative citations exceeding 500 and an emerging body of work on industrial AI, Kroff is establishing himself as a key voice shaping how researchers and policymakers understand the technological transformation of the American economy.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2AI adoption in America: Who, what, and where96 citations · 2024
- 3
- 4AI Adoption in America: Who, What, and Where76 citations · 2023
- 5
- 6Advanced Technology Adoption: Selection or Causal Effects?48 citations · 2023
- 7AI Adoption in America: Who, What, and Where39 citations · 2023
- 8The Rise of Industrial AI in America9 citations · 2025
- 9