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  • All HBS Web  (78)
    • News  (36)
    • Research  (32)
  • Faculty Publications  (24)

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  • All HBS Web  (78)
    • News  (36)
    • Research  (32)
  • Faculty Publications  (24)
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  • July 2024
  • Article

Chatbots and Mental Health: Insights into the Safety of Generative AI

By: Julian De Freitas, Ahmet Kaan Uğuralp, Zeliha Uğuralp and Stefano Puntoni
Chatbots are now able to engage in sophisticated conversations with consumers. Due to the ‘black box’ nature of the algorithms, it is impossible to predict in advance how these conversations will unfold. Behavioral research provides little insight into potential safety... View Details
Keywords: Autonomy; Chatbots; New Technology; Brand Crises; Mental Health; Large Language Model; AI and Machine Learning; Behavior; Well-being; Technological Innovation; Ethics
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De Freitas, Julian, Ahmet Kaan Uğuralp, Zeliha Uğuralp, and Stefano Puntoni. "Chatbots and Mental Health: Insights into the Safety of Generative AI." Journal of Consumer Psychology 34, no. 3 (July 2024): 481–491.
  • November 2022 (Revised March 2024)
  • Case

Replika AI: Monetizing a Chatbot

By: Julian De Freitas and Nicole Tempest Keller
In early 2018, Eugenia Kuyda, co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-based chatbot Replika AI, was deciding how to monetize the app she had built. Launched in 2017, Replika was a consumer AI “companion app” developed by a team of AI software engineers originally based in... View Details
Keywords: Mental Health; Subscriber Models; TAM; Monetization Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; AI and Machine Learning; Applications and Software; Product Positioning; Health Disorders; Technology Industry
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De Freitas, Julian, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "Replika AI: Monetizing a Chatbot." Harvard Business School Case 523-016, November 2022. (Revised March 2024.)
  • February 2024
  • Teaching Note

Replika AI: Monetizing a Chatbot

By: Julian De Freitas
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 523-016. View Details
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De Freitas, Julian. "Replika AI: Monetizing a Chatbot." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 524-038, February 2024.
  • February 2025
  • Article

Disclosure, Humanizing, and Contextual Vulnerability of Generative AI Chatbots

By: Julian De Freitas and I. Glenn Cohen
In the wake of recent advancements in generative AI, regulatory bodies are trying to keep pace. One key decision is whether to require app makers to disclose the use of generative AI-powered chatbots in their products. We suggest that some generative AI-based chatbots... View Details
Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Applications and Software; Well-being
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De Freitas, Julian, and I. Glenn Cohen. "Disclosure, Humanizing, and Contextual Vulnerability of Generative AI Chatbots." New England Journal of Medicine AI 2, no. 2 (February 2025).
  • 10 Sep 2024
  • Research & Ideas

What Happens When Business Owners Turn to ChatBots for Advice

my mind,” Koning says. “Already we’re seeing how generative AI can change people’s lives.” Chatbot versus an old-fashioned business guide The study enrolled 640 entrepreneurs in Kenya across various sectors, including transportation,... View Details
Keywords: by Ben Rand
  • 26 Oct 2023 - 28 Oct 2023
  • Conference Presentation

The Dark Side of Generative AI: Chatbots and Mental Health

By: Julian De Freitas, K Uguralp, Z Oguz and Stefano Puntoni
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De Freitas, Julian, K Uguralp, Z Oguz, and Stefano Puntoni. "The Dark Side of Generative AI: Chatbots and Mental Health." Paper presented at the Association for Consumer Research Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, October 26–28, 2023.
  • 8 Sep 2023
  • Conference Presentation

Chatbots and Mental Health: Insights into the Safety of Generative AI

By: Julian De Freitas, K. Uguralp, Z. Uguralp and Stefano Puntoni
Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Well-being
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De Freitas, Julian, K. Uguralp, Z. Uguralp, and Stefano Puntoni. "Chatbots and Mental Health: Insights into the Safety of Generative AI." Paper presented at the Business & Generative AI Workshop, Wharton School, AI at Wharton, San Francisco, CA, United States, September 8, 2023.
  • May 2024
  • Supplement

HubSpot and Motion AI (B): Generative AI Opportunities

By: Jill Avery
The technologies driving artificial intelligence (AI) had progressed significantly since HubSpot’s acquisition of Motion AI in 2017. Generative AI was the newest major development. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies such as HubSpot were analyzing how generative AI... View Details
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; CRM; Chatbots; Sales Management; Generative Ai; SaaS; Marketing; Sales; AI and Machine Learning; Customer Relationship Management; Applications and Software; Technological Innovation; Competitive Advantage; Technology Industry; United States
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Avery, Jill. "HubSpot and Motion AI (B): Generative AI Opportunities." Harvard Business School Supplement 524-088, May 2024.
  • 2025
  • Working Paper

Why Most Resist AI Companions

By: Julian De Freitas, Zeliha Oğuz-Uğuralp, Ahmet Kaan Uğuralp and Stefano Puntoni
AI companion applications—designed to serve as synthetic interaction partners—have recently become capable enough to reduce loneliness, a growing public health concern. However, behavioral research has yet to fully explain the barriers to adoption of such AI and... View Details
Keywords: Generative Ai; Chatbots; Artificial Intelligence; Algorithmic Aversion; Lonelines; Technology Adoption; AI and Machine Learning; Well-being; Emotions
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De Freitas, Julian, Zeliha Oğuz-Uğuralp, Ahmet Kaan Uğuralp, and Stefano Puntoni. "Why Most Resist AI Companions." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 25-030, December 2024. (Revised May 2025.)
  • 05 Nov 2024
  • Research & Ideas

AI Can Help Leaders Communicate, But Can't Make Employees Listen

If a chatbot can Slack convincingly in the boss’s voice, will employees follow orders once they realize the CEO is actually a machine? A novel two-part study finds that an artificial intelligence (AI) View Details
Keywords: by Ben Rand; Information Technology; Technology
  • Forthcoming
  • Article

Engaging Customers with AI in Online Chats: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment

By: Shunyuan Zhang and Das Narayandas
We examine how artificial intelligence (AI) affected the productivity of customer service agents and customer sentiment in online interactions. Collaborating with a meal delivery company, we conducted a randomized field experiment that exploited exogenous variation in... View Details
Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Customer Focus and Relationships; Performance Efficiency
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Zhang, Shunyuan, and Das Narayandas. "Engaging Customers with AI in Online Chats: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment." Management Science (forthcoming).
  • May 2024
  • Article

The Health Risks of Generative AI-Based Wellness Apps

By: Julian De Freitas and G. Cohen
Artifcial intelligence (AI)-enabled chatbots are increasingly being used to help people manage their mental health. Chatbots for mental health and particularly ‘wellness’ applications currently exist in a regulatory ‘gray area’. Indeed, most generative AI-powered... View Details
Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Well-being; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Applications and Software
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De Freitas, Julian, and G. Cohen. "The Health Risks of Generative AI-Based Wellness Apps." Nature Medicine 30, no. 5 (May 2024): 1269–1275.
  • February 2018 (Revised October 2019)
  • Case

HubSpot and Motion AI: Chatbot-Enabled CRM

By: Jill Avery and Thomas Steenburgh
HubSpot, an inbound marketing, sales, and customer relationship management (CRM) software provider, announced that it had acquired Motion AI, a software platform that enabled companies to easily build and deploy chatbots, fueled by artificial intelligence, to interact... View Details
Keywords: CRM; Sales Management; Customer Service; Artificial Intelligence; B2B Vs. B2C; Business Marketing; SaaS; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Customer Focus and Relationships; Sales; Salesforce Management; Technological Innovation; Applications and Software; Customer Relationship Management; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Industry; Service Industry; United States; North America
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Avery, Jill, and Thomas Steenburgh. "HubSpot and Motion AI: Chatbot-Enabled CRM." Harvard Business School Case 518-067, February 2018. (Revised October 2019.)
  • April 2023 (Revised September 2023)
  • Case

Apple's iPhone Revolution: Pioneering the Circular Economy

By: George Serafeim
When asked to identify an example of a circular economy business model that has generated billions in revenues for a company, ChatGPT, the famous chatbot that in 2022 rocked the world with its ability to perform a variety of tasks, immediately identified and... View Details
Keywords: Iphone; Smartphone; Waste Management; Recycling; Innovation; Product Upgrade; Product Life Cycle; Sustainability; Climate Impact; Digital; Business Model Innovation; Climate Change; Information Technology; Business Model; Electronics Industry; Information Technology Industry
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Serafeim, George. "Apple's iPhone Revolution: Pioneering the Circular Economy." Harvard Business School Case 123-089, April 2023. (Revised September 2023.)
  • September 2020 (Revised September 2021)
  • Supplement

Student Success at Georgia State University (B)

By: Michael W. Toffel, Robin Mendelson and Julia Kelley
This is a supplement to the Student Success at Georgia State University (A) case. The (B) case includes the results of a randomized control trial that Georgia State conducted to test education technology start-up AdmitHub’s chatbot solution as a strategy for improving... View Details
Keywords: Education; Higher Education; Learning; Curriculum and Courses; Demographics; Diversity; Ethnicity; Income; Race; Values and Beliefs; Leadership; Goals and Objectives; Measurement and Metrics; Operations; Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture; Outcome or Result; Performance; Performance Effectiveness; Performance Evaluation; Performance Improvement; Planning; Strategic Planning; Social Enterprise; Nonprofit Organizations; Social Issues; Wealth and Poverty; Equality and Inequality; Information Technology; Digital Platforms; Education Industry; Atlanta
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Toffel, Michael W., Robin Mendelson, and Julia Kelley. "Student Success at Georgia State University (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 621-039, September 2020. (Revised September 2021.)
  • 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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Ghosh, Shikhar, Shweta Bagai, and Marilyn Morgan Westner. "Replika: Embodying AI." Harvard Business School Case 823-090, January 2023. (Revised June 2023.)
  • June 2025
  • Case

AI Wars in 2025

By: Andy Wu and Anna Yang
In June 2025, Google leaders in Mountain View, CA convened after its parent company Alphabet shed a quarter-trillion in market capitalization in a matter of months. The immediate spark—the quiet revelation that Google searches had dipped for the first time in 20... View Details
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Wu, Andy, and Anna Yang. "AI Wars in 2025." Harvard Business School Case 725-484, June 2025.
  • December 2023 (Revised August 2024)
  • Case

Monsters in the Machine? Tackling the Challenge of Responsible AI

By: Paul M. Healy and Debora L. Spar
In November of 2022, the small tech company OpenAI released ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot which quickly captured the public’s imagination—becoming the world’s fastest-growing consumer application within months of its release. Though observers from across... View Details
Keywords: Technological Innovation; AI and Machine Learning; Ethics; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Technology Adoption; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Technology Industry; United States; European Union; China
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Healy, Paul M., and Debora L. Spar. "Monsters in the Machine? Tackling the Challenge of Responsible AI." Harvard Business School Case 324-062, December 2023. (Revised August 2024.)
  • October 2023 (Revised January 2025)
  • Case

Sydney Loves Kevin

By: Ryan W. Buell and Himabindu Lakkaraju
Kevin Roose was a columnist and podcast host for the New York Times, who focused on technology and its effects on society. When Microsoft launched the latest version of its search engine Bing in February 2023, the company invited Roose to its Redmond campus to... View Details
Keywords: Newspapers; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Adoption; Technological Innovation; Perspective; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Technology Industry
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Buell, Ryan W., and Himabindu Lakkaraju. "Sydney Loves Kevin." Harvard Business School Case 624-039, October 2023. (Revised January 2025.)
  • 2025
  • Working Paper

Lessons from an App Update at Replika AI: Identity Discontinuity in Human-AI Relationships

By: Julian De Freitas, Noah Castelo, Ahmet Kaan Uğuralp and Zeliha Oğuz-Uğuralp
As consumers increasingly interact with AI applications specialized for social relationships, what is the nature and depth of these relationships among actual users, and can company actions influence these dynamics? We find that active users of the US-based AI... View Details
Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Welfare; Loss; Well-being; Identity; Perception; Relationships
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De Freitas, Julian, Noah Castelo, Ahmet Kaan Uğuralp, and Zeliha Oğuz-Uğuralp. "Lessons from an App Update at Replika AI: Identity Discontinuity in Human-AI Relationships." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 25-018, October 2024. (Revised May 2025.)
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