The author is David Sarnoff professor of Management of Technology and professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Recent research has fuelled optimism about AI’s potential. In a large call centre study, access to an AI assistant significantly improved agents’ ability to resolve problems, with the biggest gains recorded among newer workers. Other research on coding tools such as GitHub Copilot found that AI helped users, especially junior developers, complete tasks faster.
At first glance, these reports seem to be telling a straightforward story of technological progress. A tool helps people do their jobs better. Customers benefit. Companies benefit. Workers, particularly those early in their careers, gain access to expertise that once took years to accumulate.