NEXT-GEN TECHNOLOGY
Don’t let efficiency trump ethics AI is often pitched as a way to make businesses faster, smarter and more efficient and it can indeed support these aspects of operation. Focusing solely on boosting speed and scale, however, can create risks when ethical reflection is not also viewed as a priority. Across industries, we’ve seen how even well-intentioned systems can amplify harm, such as hiring tools that unintentionally favour certain profiles, lending algorithms that overlook entire communities, or recommendation engines that reinforce echo chambers. That’s why leadership in the AI era means more than adopting technology; it means moving with intention and judgment. We train students to ask the tough questions: what data was used to train this model? Who’s accountable if something goes wrong? Are we optimising for the right thing? Crucially, when faced with new AI capabilities, we urge them to query: “Yes, we could do that, but should we?” Ethical innovation doesn’t mean slowing down. It means being deliberate, thoughtful and courageous enough to challenge AI outputs and decisions – understanding that AI doesn’t replace human judgement, in fact, it makes it even more essential. Factoring in real-world stakes The students we’re teaching today will go on to shape AI’s role in the real world. Some will run companies, while others will lead product teams, set policy, or launch start-ups. Their decisions will have an impact on everything from consumer privacy to how capital is allocated. That’s a huge responsibility and it’s why ethics can’t be a side note in business education – it must be embedded from the start. The good
news is students are hungry for these conversations – many of them already arrive with questions about AI and society. Our job is to help them channel that curiosity into rigorous thinking and responsible action. Shaping the future of next-gen tech We’re at a pivotal moment. AI is evolving quickly and the pressure to adopt and implement on a widescale is real. As educators, though, we have a unique responsibility to shape not just how it’s used but who it serves. When it comes to AI at Chicago Booth, we guide students to stay curious, question assumptions and have the courage to ask hard questions even – and especially – when the answers aren’t clear. Because ultimately, the most powerful tool in any organisation isn’t the algorithm. It’s the person who knows how to use it wisely.
Sanjog Misra is the Charles H Kellstadt distinguished service professor of marketing and applied AI at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and faculty director of the Centre for Applied AI. His research focuses on the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and structural econometric methods to study consumer, organisation and policy decisions. In particular, Misra’s research involves building data-driven intelligent systems aimed at improving decisions made by businesses and policy makers. His research has been published in a number of prestigious journals, including Econometrica , Marketing Science, The Journal of Marketing Research and The Journal of Political Economy
Ambition • ISSUE 5 • 2025 45
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