Research Portfolio

Economics2026Preprint

Dark GDP: The Economics of Entangled Time

Nav Vaidhyanathan · March 2026

This paper introduces a novel economic framework — the Entangled Time model — which demonstrates that digital screen time constitutes simultaneous production-consumption: users generate behavioral data (a critical input to AI training, targeted advertising, and algorithmic product development) while consuming digital content. This labor is uncompensated and invisible to GDP. Calibration using publicly available data (2024–2025) yields a conservative Dark GDP estimate of approximately $1.3 trillion per year, with adjusted estimates of $10–15 trillion when unmeasured channels are included.

Tensor-Driven Inertia: A Unified Framework for Quantum Gravity

Nav Vaidhyanathan · January 2026

We propose the Tensor-Driven Inertia (TDI) framework, a novel approach to unifying general relativity with quantum mechanics through tensor field interactions in curved spacetime. The framework introduces emergent inertia as a consequence of quantum-geometric coupling, deriving gravitational phenomena from first principles without requiring separate classical and quantum regimes.