MIT SMR’s 10 AI Must-Reads for 2023

No topic dominated the business world in 2023 like artificial intelligence. And no AI product has ever scaled like OpenAI’s ChatGPT: After its November 2022 release, ChapGPT attracted an estimated 100 million monthly users inside of two months. In November 2023, the company declared that it had 100 million weekly active users, including developers at more than 92% of Fortune 500 companies. You can learn what ChatGPT can and can’t do with business strategy questions by reading our No. 1 article of the past year.

But ChatGPT also raised many ethical challenges and dilemmas — at a dizzying speed. As MIT SMR’s David Kiron and his coauthors noted earlier this year, “The fast pace of AI advancements is making it harder to use AI responsibly and is putting pressure on responsible AI (RAI) programs to keep up.” Don’t miss their article, based on original research conducted by MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group, which includes insights from a global executive survey and a distinguished panel of AI experts.

As the other articles in our must-read list show, leaders are hungry for practical advice on how to use AI — to improve KPIs and design better job roles, for instance. As you can hear in our Me, Myself, and AI podcast, two episodes of which made the top-10 list, AI innovators in fields like travel and medicine have lessons to share.

How will your organization use AI in the coming year? Let’s delve into our roundup of expert advice.

#1
Three Lessons From Chatting About Strategy With ChatGPT

Christian Stadler and Martin Reeves

When generative AI’s capacity for strategy creation is put to the test, it reveals where its strengths lie — and where humans still have the edge.

#2
Building Robust RAI Programs as Third-Party AI Tools Proliferate

Elizabeth M. Renieris, David Kiron, and Steven Mills

Explore findings from the 2023 Responsible AI Global Executive Study and Research Project. The risks and failures of AI systems are more palpable and numerous than ever, but organizations are at risk of falling behind.

#3
AI Is Helping Companies Redefine, Not Just Improve, Performance

Michael Schrage, David Kiron, François Candelon, Shervin Khodabandeh, and Michael Chu

Research on organizations’ use of artificial intelligence reveals how they can apply the technology to redefine strategic measurement and KPIs.

#4
Me, Myself, and AI Podcast — Helping Doctors Make Better Decisions With Data: UC Berkeley’s Ziad Obermeyer

An emergency physician turned researcher shares how two companies he founded are democratizing access to key health care data for machine learning applications.

#5
Don’t Get Distracted by the Hype Around Generative AI

Lee Vinsel

Hype around generative AI tools like ChatGPT impedes business leaders’ ability to make well-informed technology choices.

#6
Improve Key Performance Indicators With AI

Michael Schrage, David Kiron, François Candelon, Shervin Khodabandeh, and Michael Chu

Organizations that use AI to improve existing KPIs or create new ones realize more business benefits than organizations that adjust their KPIs without AI.

#7
From ChatGPT to HackGPT: Meeting the Cybersecurity Threat of Generative AI

Karen Renaud, Merrill Warkentin, and George Westerman

It’s time to replace traditional, rule-based approaches to cybersecurity with “smarter” technology and training.

#8
Me, Myself, and AI Podcast: Detecting the Good and the Bad With AI: Airbnb’s Naba Banerjee

Machine learning helps the travel platform flag suspicious bookings to protect hosts and guests from bad actors.

#9
Strategic Alignment With AI and Smart KPIs

David Kiron, Michael Schrage, François Candelon, Shervin Khodabandeh, and Michael Chu

When organizations create forward-looking smart KPIs with AI, they see increased strategic alignment.

#10
How ChatGPT Can and Can’t Help Managers Design Better Job Roles

Fangfang Zhang and Sharon K. Parker

Many leaders don’t know how to design healthy, productive roles. ChatGPT proves effective here, when used wisely.