Technology →
- 16 Feb 2024
- Research & Ideas
As AI Upends Recruiting, Job Seekers Need a Waze App for Careers
Companies have jobs to fill, and skilled candidates are looking for the right opportunities, but too often, technology stands between them. A report by Joseph Fuller and colleagues says that a career navigation system that meets four key imperatives could bridge the gap.
- 30 Jan 2024
- Research & Ideas
‘Intrinsic Joy’ Sparks Ideas Better than Cash
Can financial incentives turn innovation into a chore? A study of GitHub's efforts to sponsor software coders by Maria Roche and colleagues explores the interplay between motivation and creativity.
- 23 Jan 2024
- Book
More Than Memes: NFTs Could Be the Next Gen Deed for a Digital World
Non-fungible tokens might seem like a fad approach to selling memes, but the concept could help companies open new markets and build communities. Scott Duke Kominers and Steve Kaczynski go beyond the NFT hype in their book, The Everything Token.
- 22 Nov 2023
- Research & Ideas
Humans vs. Machines: Untangling the Tasks AI Can (and Can't) Handle
Are you a centaur or a cyborg? A study of 750 consultants sheds new light on the strengths and limits of ChatGPT, and what it takes to operationalize generative AI. Research by Edward McFowland III, Karim Lakhani, Fabrizio Dell'Acqua, and colleagues.
- 07 Nov 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
How Should Meta Be Governed for the Good of Society?
Julie Owono is executive director of Internet Sans Frontières and a member of the Oversight Board, an outside entity with the authority to make binding decisions on tricky moderation questions for Meta’s companies, including Facebook and Instagram. Harvard Business School visiting professor Jesse Shapiro and Owono break down how the Board governs Meta’s social and political power to ensure that it’s used responsibly, and discuss the Board’s impact, as an alternative to government regulation, in the case, “Independent Governance of Meta’s Social Spaces: The Oversight Board.”
- 03 Oct 2023
- HBS Case
Layoffs Can Be Bad Business: 5 Strategies to Consider Before Cutting Staff
Many companies are quick to reduce headcount when economic headwinds appear, but they risk weakening their businesses. A case study by Sandra Sucher explores the hidden costs of layoffs.
- 26 Sep 2023
- Book
Digital Strategy: A Handbook for Managing a Moving Target
Digital strategy demands significant organizational energy at many companies. By the time teams have adapted to newly implemented technology, another platform has emerged to replace it. A book coedited by Feng Zhu offers a guide for executives trying to manage the chaos.
- 19 Sep 2023
- HBS Case
How Will the Tech Titans Behind ChatGPT, Bard, and LLaMA Make Money?
It seems like anything is possible with generative AI right now. But how will companies profit from those big ideas? Andy Wu breaks down the potentially painful tradeoffs that tech firms might face as artificial intelligence enters its next phase.
- 15 Aug 2023
- HBS Case
(Virtual) Reality Check: How Long Before We Live in the 'Metaverse'?
Generative AI has captured the collective imagination for the moment, eclipsing the once-hyped metaverse. However, it's not the end of virtual reality. A case study by Andy Wu and David Yoffie lays out the key challenges immersive 3D technology must overcome to be truly transformative.
- 20 Jun 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover: Lessons in Strategic Change
In late October 2022, Elon Musk officially took Twitter private and became the company’s majority shareholder, finally ending a months-long acquisition saga. He appointed himself CEO and brought in his own team to clean house. Musk needed to take decisive steps to succeed against the major opposition to his leadership from both inside and outside the company. Twitter employees circulated an open letter protesting expected layoffs, advertising agencies advised their clients to pause spending on Twitter, and EU officials considered a broader Twitter ban. What short-term actions should Musk take to stabilize the situation, and how should he approach long-term strategy to turn around Twitter? Harvard Business School assistant professor Andy Wu and co-author Goran Calic, associate professor at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business, discuss Twitter as a microcosm for the future of media and information in their case, “Twitter Turnaround and Elon Musk.”
- 16 May 2023
- In Practice
After Silicon Valley Bank's Flameout, What's Next for Entrepreneurs?
Silicon Valley Bank's failure in the face of rising interest rates shook founders and funders across the country. Julia Austin, Jeffrey Bussgang, and Rembrand Koning share key insights for rattled entrepreneurs trying to make sense of the financing landscape.
- 02 May 2023
- What Do You Think?
How Should Artificial Intelligence Be Regulated—if at All?
Some AI pioneers say the technology could be a risk to humanity, and some governments have taken steps to rein it in. But who should set the rules and what details must they consider? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 26 Apr 2023
- In Practice
Is AI Coming for Your Job?
In a post-AI world, where an algorithm can draft marketing copy—or even pop songs and movie scripts—anything seems possible. Harvard Business School faculty members discuss how artificial intelligence could reshape how work gets done.
- 14 Mar 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
Can AI and Machine Learning Help Park Rangers Prevent Poaching?
Globally there are too few park rangers to prevent the illegal trade of wildlife across borders, or poaching. In response, Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) was created by a coalition of conservation organizations to take historical data and create geospatial mapping tools that enable more efficient deployment of rangers. SMART had demonstrated significant improvements in patrol coverage, with some observed reductions in poaching. Then a new predictive analytic tool, the Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security (PAWS), was created to use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to try to predict where poachers would be likely to strike. Jonathan Palmer, Executive Director of Conservation Technology for the Wildlife Conservation Society, already had a good data analytics tool to help park rangers manage their patrols. Would adding an AI- and ML-based tool improve outcomes or introduce new problems? Harvard Business School senior lecturer Brian Trelstad discusses the importance of focusing on the use case when determining the value of adding a complex technology solution in his case, “SMART: AI and Machine Learning for Wildlife Conservation.”
- 07 Mar 2023
- HBS Case
ChatGPT: Did Big Tech Set Up the World for an AI Bias Disaster?
Google tried to silence AI bias warnings from ethicist Timnit Gebru. Will a world enamored with OpenAI's ChatGPT be able to confront them? Tsedal Neeley reflects on Gebru's experience in a case study, and offers advice on managing the ethical risks of AI.
- 10 Feb 2023
- Research & Ideas
COVID-19 Lessons: Social Media Can Nudge More People to Get Vaccinated
Social networks have been criticized for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, but the platforms have also helped public health agencies spread the word on vaccines, says research by Michael Luca and colleagues. What does this mean for the next pandemic?
- 02 Feb 2023
- Research & Ideas
Why We Still Need Twitter: How Social Media Holds Companies Accountable
Remember the viral video of the United passenger being removed from a plane? An analysis of Twitter activity and corporate misconduct by Jonas Heese and Joseph Pacelli reveals the power of social media to uncover questionable situations at companies.
- 16 Dec 2022
- Research & Ideas
Why Technology Alone Can't Solve AI's Bias Problem
Engineers designed "fair-ranking algorithms" to prevent artificial intelligence from marginalizing certain groups. While these tools help, research by Himabindu Lakkaraju finds that they can't completely override the most stubborn source of bias: people.
- 13 Dec 2022
- Cold Call Podcast
Metaverse Seoul: How One City Used Citizen Input to Pilot a Government-Run Metaverse
In May 2022, the Seoul Metropolitan Government in Seoul, Korea launched the pilot of Metaverse Seoul, a virtual version of Seoul’s mayor’s office. As they worked towards building a broad, immersive, online government platform, they hoped to gain insights from citizens about everything from popular local tourist sites that could be experienced virtually to government services that could be delivered in the metaverse. But to do that, the team had to figure out how to solicit ideas from citizens and then determine which ideas to put to use. Professor Mitchell Weiss discusses their approach, as well as questions relating to his research on public entrepreneurship and what he calls “possibility government,” in his case, “Metaverse Seoul.”
How to Make AI 'Forget' All the Private Data It Shouldn't Have
When companies use machine learning models, they may run the risk of inadvertently sharing sensitive and private data. Seth Neel explains why it’s important to understand how to wipe AI’s spongelike memory clean.