New research shows the next wave of AI expands both productivity and the scope of work. Listen to this article: For businesses, the most important question about agentic AI is whether it actually changes what work people can get done. The new working paper, “How AI Agents Reshape Knowledge Work: Autonomy, Efficiency, and Scope,” begins […]
A sweeping review finds persistent gender gaps in generative AI adoption across countries, jobs, and tools. Listen to this article: This Insight Article revises and updates the version published on April 17, 2025. The rapid spread of generative AI has created enormous expectations for productivity and growth. Yet new research points to a troubling pattern: […]
How a new benchmark uses business schools’ signature teaching tool to measure AI against the analytical work careers are built on. Listen to this article: Most of us are already comfortable handing AI short, one-off tasks like document summaries, email drafts, and data analysis, but we are less comfortable trusting its results on more complex […]
New research describes how to hold AI accountable for how well it protects users in crisis. Listen to this article: Content Warning: This article discusses suicide. For those experiencing suicidal thoughts or ideations, help is always available. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free 24-hour, confidential support by calling or texting 988 or visiting […]
A large-scale study shows why perceived artificiality may be the new creative risk. Listen to this article: We’ve all become familiar with AI slop: low-quality content that is so obviously created by AI that we can’t believe it could fool anyone. But more and more, we seem to be confronted with the unsettling possibility that […]
The case for rethinking when humans should review AI output Listen to this article: We tend to treat human oversight in AI adoption as the responsible choice. But as organizations increase their reliance on AI, the feasibility of that plan falters: if AI is deployed at scale, there will simply be too many touchpoints to […]
A new framework argues that AI evaluation should start where AI actually gets used. Listen to this article: Real-world AI use is messy. Uneven user expertise, shifting workflows, institutional dynamics, and a range of other factors all have an effect on what we get out of AI, but we also want to have a clear […]
A new framework for creating original ideas with AI Listen to this article: “Give me 20 headlines.” “Create 30 research questions.” “Generate 50 business ideas.” Beneath these requests lies an intuitive assumption about large language models: that originality emerges automatically from quantity. If an AI can generate ideas faster than humans, then perhaps creativity becomes […]
A six-month, cross-industry randomized trial shows how generative AI is reshaping work. Listen to this article: The promise of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s “flow theory” is that people do their best work when they can enter a flow state, or stay deeply engaged in a challenging task without constant interruption. Yet the structure of knowledge work […]
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 Christopher Stanton, Marvin Bower Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School who is pursuing research on the topics of […]