Tech at Work: What GenAI Means for Companies Right Now
May 2, 2024
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Explore the challenges of deploying generative artificial intelligence in organizations and the impact on work. Learn from management professor Ethan Mollick about the potential and struggles of using AI tools. Delve into the uncertainties of AI adoption, the role of expertise in organizations, and the implications of AI in recruiting. Discover the innovation landscape with AI and its influence on advertising and publishing.
Leaders must experiment with AI to understand its potential and limitations.
Algorithmic management can negatively impact team dynamics and performance.
Organizations should consider cultural and psychological impacts when implementing AI.
Deep dives
The Evolution of Generative AI Use
Generative AI has been a hot topic for over a year now, with companies investing heavily but still awaiting significant returns. The focus has shifted from exploring possibilities to refining use cases and optimization within organizations.
Adoption Challenges and Optimism
Leaders express skepticism about generative AI's real impact amidst concerns about scalability, ecological costs, and changing media environments. Questions arise about risk assessment, employee/customer impact, and the confidence needed to invest in the technology.
Experimenting with AI for Learning
Ethan Molick, an expert in innovation, emphasizes the importance of hands-on experimentation with AI to grasp its capabilities. He encourages using AI ethically and legally across various tasks to gain practical insights on its operations.
Balancing AI Integration in Work Teams
Research highlights potential pitfalls in team dynamics when AI is introduced, showcasing a decline in sociability and pro-social motivation among human team members. Algorithmic management could impact overall team performance negatively despite maintaining task-based efficiency.
Implications of AI Management on Workplace Culture
Algorithmic management can affect intrateam relationships and psychological safety, leading to decreased support and increased objectification among coworkers. Organizations are urged to consider the cultural and psychological impacts of implementing AI-driven systems.
Future of Enterprise AI Adoption
As organizations navigate the integration of AI, the focus shifts to deploying tools strategically, fostering innovation from the edge, and reevaluating productivity and workforce dynamics. Encouraging experimentation and adapting workflows to leverage AI's capabilities are essential for organizational success.
If you’re a senior leader, managing technology has never been more challenging—especially as organizations struggle to deploy generative artificial intelligence. Since ChatGPT burst into the mainstream a year and a half ago, everyone has been scrambling to make sense of how to use these tools, what they can and can’t do, and what they mean for our work and our teams.
Tech at Work is a four-part special series from HBR IdeaCast. Join senior tech editors Juan Martinez and Tom Stackpole for research, stories, and advice to make technology work for you and your team. New episodes publish in the IdeaCast feed every other Thursday starting May 2, after the regular Tuesday episode.
In this episode, Ethan Mollick, a management professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of the new book Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, discusses what he’s learned through direct experimentation with these tools, where he sees the most potential, and why organizations are struggling to create value with them.
And please let us know what you think of the series and which technology topics you want us to cover at ideacast@hbr.org.