“By 2024, we saw that shifting to significantly more people endorsed beliefs about human enhancement. This year we see no change: About 90% believe AI will complement employee skills.”

—Stefano Puntoni, Sebastian S. Kresge Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School; Faculty Co-Director, Wharton Human-AI Research, via The Wall Street Journal

Professor Puntoni shares findings from Wharton and GBK Collective’s latest survey of 800 business leaders. The results reveal a decisive turn toward optimism: most executives say generative AI enhances human capabilities and creates opportunities, especially for entry-level roles.

Read more via WSJ → (subscription may be required)

How Disruptive Will Generative AI Be?

In the latest AI Horizons Webinar, hosted by Wharton Human AI Research (WHAIR), Michael G. Jacobides, Sir Donald Gordon Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at London Business School, joined Stefano Puntoni, Faculty Co-Director of WHAIR to discuss how generative AI is reshaping industries, business models, and organizations.

How AI Shapes Creativity: Expanding Potential or Narrowing Possibilities?

Now that everyone has access to state-of-the-art AI systems, it’s time to explore the question of what impact AI has on the quality and diversity of creative ideas. Our latest AI Horizons webinar series was led by Kartik Hosanagar, Faculty Co-Director of Wharton Human-AI Research, Anil Doshi, Associate Professor, UCL School of Management, Oliver Hauser, Professor of Economics, University of Exeter, and Léonard Boussioux, Assistant Professor, University of Washington.

The next leap in chatbots will not come from better AI models alone. It will come from recognizing that with AI, the customer experience is no longer an engineering challenge. It’s now one of human psychology.

— Stefano Puntoni, Wharton Professor of Marketing and Co-Director of Wharton Human-AI Research, Fixing Chatbots Requires Psychology, Not Technology (Harvard Business Review)

Despite major advances in AI, customers still walk away frustrated from chatbot interactions. New research shows the problem isn’t about making chatbots smarter — it’s about making them more psychologically aware. By using simple behavioral insights, companies can turn frustrating interactions into customer loyalty drivers.

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“It’s like forcing yourself to take the stairs instead of taking the elevator.”

— Hamsa Bastani, associate professor of Operations, Information and Decisions via The Wall Street Journal

In a personal reflection for The Wall Street Journal, Wharton professor Hamsa Bastani explores how overreliance on generative AI may dull our cognitive edge—and why she now intentionally chooses friction over ease to stay sharp and engaged.

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One might view learning through LLMs rather than web search as analogous to being shown the solution to a math problem rather than trying to solve it oneself.

— Shiri Melumad, associate professor of Marketing, “Experimental Evidence of the Effects of Large Language Models versus Web Search on Depth of Learning”

In a series of experiments with over 4,500 participants, Professor Melumad finds that using large language models like ChatGPT can lead to shallower learning, reduced originality, and lower-quality advice compared to traditional web search. The research suggests that AI tools may make knowledge acquisition more passive—potentially diminishing how deeply we engage with and retain information.

Read the full working paper →

“GenAI offers firms unprecedented opportunities to understand and engage with customers, better assess the competitive environment, and extend data-driven decision-making.”

— Stefano Puntoni, Faculty Co-Director of Wharton Human-AI Research, via Harvard Business Review

In this new HBR feature, Professor Puntoni and his co-authors present a clear framework for how generative AI is revolutionizing market research—leveraging synthetic data, digital twins, and always-on insight engines to unlock deeper customer understanding.

Read the full piece → (subscription may be required)