VII.

## Deep Learning as a General-Purpose Invention in the Method of Invention:
Considerations for Organizations, Institutions and Policy
With these results in mind, we now consider the potential implications for innovation and
innovation policy if deep learning is indeed a general-purpose technology (GPT) and/or a
general-purpose invention in the method of invention (IMI). If deep learning is merely a GPT, it
is likely to generate innovation across a range of applications (with potential for spillovers both
back to the learning GPT and also to other application sectors) but will not itself change the
nature of the innovation production function. If it is also a general purpose IMI, we would
expect it to have an even larger impact on economy-wide innovation, growth, and productivity as
dynamics play out—and to trigger even more severe short run disruptions of labor markets and
the internal structure of organizations.