In 1987, economist Robert Solow said, “you can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.” This quote underscores the challenges in tracing the effects of information technology and automation on productivity and the economy at large. Understanding the role of technology in labor productivity growth remains an ongoing quest in economics, one made even more pertinent by recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the further adoption of generative AI and large language models (LLMs). Our article suggests that the observation embodied in Solow’s quote is still pertinent today, even in the current age of AI and automation. A direct and concrete relationship between technological deepening and productivity remains elusive at best. It also suggests estimates more in line with Acemoglu’s work and points to an alternative mechanism as a driver of productivity growth: the age composition of the U.S. workforce.