Kai Risdahl

The 1970s and 80s.

And, oh look, a banking crisis.

And, oh look, a banking crisis.

That's Patricia McCoy.

That's Patricia McCoy.

Today, she's a professor at Boston College.

Today, she's a professor at Boston College.

But back in the 1980s, she was right out of law school when Continental Illinois was the sixth biggest bank in the country.

But back in the 1980s, she was right out of law school when Continental Illinois was the sixth biggest bank in the country.

Continental Illinois was eventually seized by the FDIC, its assets absorbed in the Bank of America, along the way becoming the first bank to be called too big to fail on the floor of the United States Congress.

Continental Illinois was eventually seized by the FDIC, its assets absorbed in the Bank of America, along the way becoming the first bank to be called too big to fail on the floor of the United States Congress.

Regulators said almost 200 other banks had substantial exposure, their words, to Continental, and businesses outside banking did as well, like Patricia McCoy's firm.

Regulators said almost 200 other banks had substantial exposure, their words, to Continental, and businesses outside banking did as well, like Patricia McCoy's firm.

She did keep her job and in the years since has been focused on bailouts and on too big to fail.

She did keep her job and in the years since has been focused on bailouts and on too big to fail.

Her work helped shape the Dodd-Frank Act, the 2010 law that in theory would end too big to fail, parts of which we should say the first Trump administration rolled way back.

Her work helped shape the Dodd-Frank Act, the 2010 law that in theory would end too big to fail, parts of which we should say the first Trump administration rolled way back.

So we asked her whether AI's growing importance in this economy rings any alarm bells for her.

So we asked her whether AI's growing importance in this economy rings any alarm bells for her.

It does.