Because AI
is only half the answer
Who Counts as Your AI Competition?
A field experiment provides evidence that AI investment plans focus on the rivals next door. Listen to this article: We may be mistaking AI momentum for inevitability. AI capabilities seem to be advancing faster than ever, but technologies don’t diffuse automatically. They spread through thousands of individual decisions made by firms that often have an […]
“If your workers aren’t frustrated using AI, then you’re nowhere near where you should be.”
Mary ErdoesMary Callahan Erdoes , HBS AI Institute Advisory Council Member and CEO of JPMorgan Asset and Wealth Management
AI Can Clean Up the Comments. Can It Improve Sales?
New research shows what happens to advertising performance when AI takes the reins. Listen to this article: Generative AI has enabled a wave of AI-integrated business products, making it easier than ever for organizations to automate complex business tasks across IT, marketing, operations, and beyond. But a capability can be impressive without creating measurable business […]
Staying in the Driver’s Seat: Designing Better Human Oversight for AI
New research explores how deliberately imperfect outputs may help keep human reviewers vigilant. Listen to this article: Modern AI systems increasingly present us with products that appear finished: complete slide decks with images, polished reports and emails, and even full web apps coded entirely by the AI. We therefore move into the role of the […]
The Dual-Geography of AI’s Water Footprint
A new Harvard analysis mapped where data-center water actually goes. Listen to this article: Recent social media posts have joked that using an LLM is a bit like turning on a hose, draining a bottle of water, or flushing the toilet. The idea being that every time an LLM answers a prompt, it heats up […]
Because AI
is a superpower
About the Institute
Launched in 2022 as the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard and evolving into the HBS AI Institute in 2026, we are a global research center focused on the premise that AI technology is only half the answer and that businesses must also revamp their processes to harness its full potential. The Institute is made up of an unbiased, multidisciplinary team of Harvard and Harvard Business School faculty and researchers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs devoted to sharing proven learnings on reshaping business for a digital and AI-first world.
HBS AI Institute Associates Spotlight Series: Hannah Riley Bowles
This series introduces Harvard Business School AI Institute Associates Program projects which aim to answer important questions at the intersection of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in business and society. This article shares insights from Hannah Riley Bowles, Roy E. Larsen Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Management, Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Nadja […]
Because AI
transforms productivity
“…what’s different is the promise of this technology. AI has the capabilities of summarizing and allowing people to access tacit knowledge that is typically, you know, exclusive to experts.”
Raffaella Sadun John Winsor , Co-Principal Investigator at the Digital Reskilling Lab
Forget the Algorithms: Follow the Electricity
New research shows AI data center infrastructure is more closely tied to clean-energy returns than to traditional energy. Listen to this article: Behind every AI prompt sits a heavy, physical infrastructure with a growing appetite for electricity. This could lift demand for natural gas and energy storage, renewables, grid equipment, and transmission, but each option […]
Using AI for Mental Health the Right Way
A randomized trial suggests purpose-built AI may help spot and support emotional strain. Listen to this article: Modern life is full of signals. A watch can tell us our heart rate, an app can tell us how many hours we slept, and our fridges can even alert us if we’re running low on eggs. But […]
Because AI
changes everything
Iavor Bojinov on Agentic Operating Models
What are agentic operating models and how will they transform the way organizations work, make decisions, and create value? Join us for Agentic Operating Models with HBS Associate Professor Iavor I. Bojinov, a virtual program for HBS alumni seeking to understand this emerging technology and its implications across industries. Speaker: Iavor I. BojinovPrincipal InvestigatorLaboratory of […] Continue reading Iavor Bojinov on Agentic Operating Models
