Finance & Markets
WOMEN LEADERS
Why women CFOs are more ethical than men THE FAIRER SEX?
map the jagged frontier of AI’s abilities today, the technology is evolving so fast that the boundary line may well shift tomorrow. Another major risk that became evident during our study was the decrease of cognitive diversity. This led to a smaller pool of creative ideas, even in tasks that were well suited to using AI. In the footwear task, those using AI often generated strikingly similar ideas. Those consultants without access to AI worked more slowly and produced lower-quality ideas on average. However, they came up with a more diverse range of proposals. This suggests a company could benefit from relying more on human ingenuity to produce distinctive outputs. This is particularly true when radical innovation is needed and competitors rely heavily on AI. There is no simple answer to the question, “For which tasks should companies use AI?” Instead, businesses should learn
to experiment systematically and strategically with different uses. There is arguably no longer a binary choice for companies between adopting AI or not. The aim is to identify which approach suits the technology best and to find ways of using AI while monitoring the risk involved. Indiscriminately applying AI technology could lead to productivity losses on tasks that still require greater human judgement. It could also lead to a decrease in accountability in critical tasks and reputational damage. Equally, ignoring AI could mean losing out in the competitive race for technology adoption and efficiency. It could also deny knowledge workers the opportunity to advance their skills and focus on higher-value tasks. Companies need to create new roles and develop new forms of working and organising to lead systematic experimentation. The optimum way to use AI will remain unclear for the near future.
Therefore, the onus will be on managers to keep experimenting with the technology as it evolves. Our research group has developed a tool to help organisations experiment with generative AI and enhance how professionals use it. We are seeking to engage with organisations to experiment with our research- based tool and methodology. Even if companies don’t stop to question whether they should adopt AI, they should ask themselves how they can harness the technology in a responsible way to make work more productive and more meaningful for employees working on the jagged frontier.
What should managers ask before adopting AI? Learn more with Professor Hila Lifshitz.
by Yuval Millo
Sustainable Development Goals
Warwick Business School | wbs.ac.uk
wbs.ac.uk | Warwick Business School
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