Episode
AI Is Killing Transaction Costs, But Who Gets the Money?
- Podcast
- A Beginner's Guide to AI
- Published
- May 10, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2268
- Processing state
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- https://shows.acast.com/beginners-guide-to-ai/episodes/ai-is-killing-transaction-costs-but-who-gets-the-money
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Summary
Stop Thinking of AI as a Content Machine, Start Seeing It as a Bargain Machine AI is not just changing how businesses write content, automate tasks, or analyse data. It is changing how markets work. In this episode of A Beginner’s Guide to AI , we connect artificial intelligence with the Coase Theorem, the classic economic idea that explains how people bargain over resources when transaction costs are low. This episode looks at AI transaction costs, algorithmic pricing, smart contracts, platform power, and the hidden cost of frictionless automation. You will learn why AI is not only a productivity tool, but a coordination machine that changes how companies, customers, platforms, creators, and markets exchange value. We start with the Coase Theorem in simple language: if bargaining were free and easy, people could often find the most efficient solution. Then we bring in AI. AI can reduce the cost of finding information, comparing options, drafting agreements, monitoring outcomes, matching people, and enforcing deals. That is powerful for business, marketing, ecommerce, travel, marketplaces, and platform strategy. 💡💡💡 Don't forget to go to Nebius, as they help us keeping up the good work! Have a look at their Token Factory, where you can easily implement great LLMs in your company's workflows. Visit them at Nebius.com 🚀 💡💡💡 But there is a catch. Lower friction does not automatically mean fairer outcomes. Using Uber and algorithmic pricing as a case study, we look at how AI can make a marketplace faster and smoother while also raising difficult questions about transparency, dynamic pricing, bargaining power, and who captures the value created by automation. Oxford research has raised concerns about Uber’s dynamic pricing and how value is shared between passengers, drivers…