Probabilistic Machine Learning - Publications - Faculty & Research

29 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

The Next Marketing Challenge: Selling to ’Simplifiers’

sales depend on two things: the launch of new, higher-priced, higher-featured, often customized products that persuade consumers to trade in their existing appliances before they break down (think cellphones), as well as household penetration of products such as fax... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Retail; Consumer Products; Entertainment & Recreation

21 Mar 2018
Research & Ideas

Why Artificial Intelligence Isn't a Sure Thing to Increase Productivity

future, 50 percent of all tasks currently done by humans could be done by machine learning and artificial intelligence,” says Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury, assistant professor at Harvard Business School.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Technology; Information

05 Dec 2023
Research & Ideas

Are Virtual Tours Still Worth It in Real Estate? Evidence from 75,000 Home Sales

remains white-hot despite high interest rates. “Maybe it doesn't help you to get a 5 percent sales price rise by using visual tools—but it might help sellers in many other ways,” Troncoso says. Virtual reality for house hunting To parse selling behavior, the... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Real Estate

Research Summary

Overview

By: Kris Johnson Ferreira

Professor Ferreira's research primarily focuses on how retailers can use algorithms to make better revenue management decisions, including pricing, product display, and assortment planning. In the retail industry, anticipating consumer demand is arguably one of the... View Details

Keywords: E-commerce; Analytics; Revenue Management; Pricing; Assortment Planning; Field Experiments; Operations; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Retail Industry

26 Sep 2023
Book

Digital Strategy: A Handbook for Managing a Moving Target

applications, internet and mobile communications, and AI, especially when tied to machine learning and deep learning. “One of the major effects of big data on businesses is that their dependence on the... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Information Technology; Technology

2023
Working Paper

An Experimental Design for Anytime-Valid Causal Inference on Multi-Armed Bandits

By: Biyonka Liang and Iavor I. Bojinov

Typically, multi-armed bandit (MAB) experiments are analyzed at the end of the study and thus require the analyst to specify a fixed sample size in advance. However, in many online learning applications, it is advantageous to continuously produce inference on the... View Details

Keywords: Analytics and Data Science; AI and Machine Learning; Mathematical Methods

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30 Apr 2013
First Look

First Look: April 30

fail to spend sufficient time learning to understand ourselves and creating our own definition of success? The truth is, it can seem so natural and so much easier to just do what everyone else is doing-for now-leaving it for later to... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 Jan 2023
In Practice

8 Trends to Watch in 2023

As 2023 begins, businesses and employees face an uncertain economy and labor market, as the twin dilemmas of inflation and interest rates weigh on forecasts. Harvard Business School faculty share the top trends that they believe will shape the workplace and markets... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

January 2023 (Revised June 2023)
Case

Replika: Embodying AI

By: Shikhar Ghosh, Shweta Bagai and Marilyn Morgan Westner

Replika was a virtual AI companion that provided a way for people to process their emotions, build connections in a safe environment, and get through periods of loneliness. The chatbot fulfilled a user's need for a friend, romantic partner, or purely an emotional... View Details

Keywords: AI; AI and Machine Learning; Applications and Software; Human Needs; California

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HBS - The year in Review

scale capabilities in the realm of digital products, data strategy and architecture, analytics, machine learning and AI, the group will work to build platforms and deliver applications that enable innovation... View Details

01 Dec 2023
News

Thinking Ahead

As we wind down 2023, there’s talk everywhere of generative AI and how it will fundamentally alter the world as we know it; but how does that translate for your corner of the business world? Is TikTok something you need to take seriously? (Is it time to dance?) We... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Illustrations by Chris Gash; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information

January–February 2020
Article

Competing in the Age of AI

By: Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani

Today’s markets are being reshaped by a new kind of firm—one in which artificial intelligence (AI) runs the show. This cohort includes giants like Google, Facebook, and Alibaba, and growing businesses such as Wayfair and Ocado. Every time we use their services, the... View Details

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Algorithms; Technological Innovation; Business Model; Competition; Competitive Strategy; AI and Machine Learning

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01 Jun 2024
News

Quantum Leap

“This is the first new kind of computer in 75 years,” says John Levy (MBA 1979), CEO of the quantum computing startup SEEQC. “And we’re building it on a chip!” Strolling through his company’s design and testing facility in Elmsford, New York, Levy looks less like a... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; photographed by Chris Sorensen; quantum computing; innovation; leadership; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Manufacturing

19 Dec 2023
Research & Ideas

15 Podcast Episodes That Grabbed Listeners in 2023

president of engineering and research at Google and the founding managing director of the Google Center in Israel, explains how Google uses AI and machine learning to tackle some of the biggest challenges... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

2024
Working Paper

The Uneven Impact of Generative AI on Entrepreneurial Performance

By: Nicholas G. Otis, Rowan Clarke, Solène Delecourt, David Holtz and Rembrand Koning

Scalable and low-cost AI assistance has the potential to improve firm decision-making and economic performance. However, running a business involves a myriad of open-ended problems, making it difficult to know whether recent AI advances can help business owners make... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Performance Improvement; Small Business; Decision Choices and Conditions; Kenya

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17 Jan 2020
In Practice

6 Traits That Set Top Business Leaders Apart

World on Fire. Image: Eoneren Related Reading When Your Passion Works Against You What Machine Learning Teaches Us about CEO Leadership Style How Scale Changes a Manager's Responsibilities Related reading... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

18 Oct 2022
Research & Ideas

When Bias Creeps into AI, Managers Can Stop It by Asking the Right Questions

algorithm perpetuates this. Another source of bias is incomplete or unrepresentative information. A famous example is facial recognition. If I use mostly photos of white men to train the machine to learn... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

02 Jun 2022
Research & Ideas

Blissful Thinking: When It Comes to Finding Happiness, 'Your Dreams Are Liars'

the research problem, at this point. I’m the subject and I’m the researcher. I’m like a perpetual-motion machine of happiness research.” In this conversation with the HBS Alumni Bulletin, Brooks talks about why happiness has become such a... View Details

Keywords: by Dan Morrell

26 May 2023
Blog Post

Bringing Space Tech Back to Earth

companies more sustainably manage their water resources. Like all her favorite projects, it has the potential to help people on Earth using technology designed for space. “I’m using my interest in space technology by assessing how satellite imagery could combine with... View Details

January 2022
Article

Artificial Intelligence, Data-Driven Learning, and the Decentralized Structure of Platform Ecosystems

By: David R. Clough and Andy Wu

Gregory, Henfridsson, Kaganer, and Kyriakou (2020) highlight the important role of data and AI as strategic resources that platforms may use to enhance user value. However, their article overlooks a significant conceptual distinction: the installed base of... View Details