b'TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATIONMANAGING THELEARNING MACHINEBY J SCOTT CHRISTIANSONAnd unless your company builds its own genera- In the Trulaske Kaldis It has been over a year since Generative AI, led bytive AI system, it is tough to understand how theseSim, students manage systems arrive at their output and what biases thata virtual coffee shop, ChatGPT, took the world by storm. Several academicoutput might contain. Not just racial and genderincluding hiring and studies have already investigated how these toolstraining would-be can be used in the workplace, and all show the samebiases but information selection biases, such asbaristas.trend:when paired with Generative AI, knowledgewhat content is given more weight, which can cause workers can dramatically increase their productivity.Generative AI systems to overlook more exciting And some predict that many jobs might be givenand profitable solutions. over entirely to Generative AI at some point in theWith a technology that is changing so rapidly, there J Scott Christianson near future! is also a case for waiting until it stabilizes before This new form of white collar automation has ledconsidering wide-scale adoption. It is called bleed-to headlines predicting massive job losses, and iting-edge technology for a reason. is not clear that there will be enough new AI engi- Instead, I encourage you to think like my students neer jobs to make up the difference. Some CEOsand ask more critical questions: What can we do have announced they will lay off employees this yearwith this technology that has not been possible in due to AI adoption. However, immediately cuttingthe past? What services or products can we build bottom-line labor costs can be dangerous whenthat we couldnt do before? And what products or dealing with transformational technology for manyservices do people pay us for now that they will reasons.not be willing to pay us for in the future? These areLESSONS IN LATTEFirst, while many knowledge-working jobs involvetough questions to answer. tasks that can be assisted by Gen AI, it is the work- In other words, we should not get distracted by ers expert judgment, synthesis, and analysis thathow fast ChatGPT can summarize meeting notes produces high-quality output. Workflows andor create a PowerPoint presentation. Instead, weStudents in Daryl Smiths human resources management class have just taken processes will need to be redesigned with human-AIshould ask ourselves, What will lunch be like inover as the HR director of a Kaldis Coffee shop, and they need baristas. If they collaboration in mind. In addition, Generative AIten years when we live in an AI-mediated world?wisely hire, train and manage their workers, theyll see employee engagement makes mistakes (commonly referred to as halluci- That might seem ridiculous, but I have lived throughscores soar. If they choose poorly, they will deal with the bitter aftertaste.nations), so this learning machine requires humanseveral technological revolutions, and the winnersWelcome to the latest version of the Trulaske Kaldis Sim, a video game created oversight and guidance to operate effectively.of these revolutions work on answering the nonob- by Daryl Smith, associate professor of management, and Mizzous Adroit Studios vious, and tough, questions.Gaming Lab . Many people compare Generative AI to other tech- When theyre playing this game, the students will see rsums, hear dialogue nology revolutions like the Internet or the Worldof actual interviews, says Smith. Theyll make assessments of the candidates Wide Web, and I agree. However, I also rememberand rate them on certain aptitudes in terms of knowledge, skill and experience,Daryl Smith Tricia Zimmer Fergusonhow sad I was that the web killed off one of myand theyll rate them on certain attitudes.favorite pastimes: browsing through the Sears catalog. When Sears saw the web, they realized theyThe game emphasizes the direct connection between talent management could reduce costs by putting their store hours on aand business outcomes.Students get a chance to make website, posting ads online, and emailing coupons.If students make great decisions relative to hiring, training and managingbusiness decisions and see the At the same time, one couple (Jeff Bezos and MacK- talent, their store will achieve higher sales and profits, Smith says. outcomes of their decisions, enzie Scott) saw the web and asked, What willThe Trulaske Kaldis Sim highlights a connection with the schools past. Kaldisbut they get to do it in a safe shopping look like in ten years in a web-mediated world?Coffee is a national chain co-owned by Tricia Zimmer Ferguson, BS BA 03,environment.and her husband, Josh Ferguson, BS 03.My students are working on the tough questionsDaryl Smithof this technology revolution and are figuring outStudents get a chance to make business decisions and see the outcomes of how to use these tools to become the next Amazon.their decisions, Smith says, but they get to do it in a safe environment. The fundamental question for existing organiza- This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Mizzou Magazine.tions, including Mizzou, is whether we want to be the next Sears?Source: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/centaurs-and-cyborgs-on-the-jagged8 2024 MANAGEMENT MATTERSMANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT 9'