Barbara Wixom, principal research scientist at MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), draws on 30 years of research in this bonus episode of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast. She believes data monetization is the key to enterprise success with AI and breaks down why.

With hosts Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh, Barb details case examples to highlight best practices for AI implementation and how to measure value, as well as how data governance and ethics play a critical role in successful AI projects. They also talk about what companies get wrong and the challenges and rewards of AI research. Read the episode transcript here.

Guest bio:

Barbara Wixom is a principal research scientist at the MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR). Her academic research explores how organizations generate business value from data assets. She is the author of the award-winning book, Data Is Everybody’s Business: The Fundamentals of Data Monetization, which she wrote to inspire workers to engage in data monetization.

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.

We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

Jeff Miller moved from a career in government to focus on the health and safety of NFL players. Due to the nature of their sport, they are more prone to injuries, including concussions, than other professional athletes. By leveraging the game’s unique elements, such as the volume of cameras filming on-field activities, the NFL can gather large data sets to track injuries, and then segment their likelihood of occurrence by position and design equipment and update game rules to minimize them.

Jeff joins us to describe how the NFL has partnered with tech companies, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), to expand its technology fluency and implement these solutions. Listen to today’s episode to learn about specific equipment the NFL has produced and rule changes it has implemented to better track and protect its players, as well as one element of the game Jeff believes technology cannot replace. Read the episode transcript here.

Guest bio

Jeff Miller is the National Football League’s executive vice president overseeing player health and safety. He is also the NFL’s executive vice president of communications, public affairs, and policy. During his tenure, the league has used data, artificial intelligence, and engineering to improve protective equipment, make rule changes, and support independent medical research related to players’ wellness and the rate of concussions.

Before joining the league, Miller spent a decade on Capitol Hill as chief counsel and staff director for the Antitrust and Business Competition Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.  

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.

We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

After trying his luck at the stock market, Ronald den Elzen, pursued a career in technology leadership instead. Today, as the chief technology and digital officer of The Heineken Company, he encourages his team to think about the legacy beverage company as a 160-year-old startup with global scale, operating with multiple brands in more than 80 markets. When members of his team can work with agility and less fear of making mistakes, he finds they are more successful at rolling out new technology initiatives.

Heineken uses AI extensively in areas including revenue management, promotional optimization, and logistics, but Ronald believes much value still comes from traditional AI — such as predictive analytics and machine learning models — rather than chasing the latest trends like generative AI (GenAI). Heineken is focused on using these foundational tools to drive tangible. Read the episode transcript here.

Guest bio:

Ronald den Elzen, chief digital and technology officer at The Heineken Company, has been with the international brewer since 1996. He previously held roles in data and transformation and served as the CEO of Heineken USA. Den Elzen lives in the Netherlands.

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.

We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

Over the past year, we’ve seen generative AI explode. In this episode, we review insights shared with us from five prior guests — from Microsoft, GitHub, Meta, Partnership on AI, and NASA — and consider what’s changed, what’s the same, and what new concerns organizations face. With GenAI tools becoming ubiquitous and democratized, organizations grapple with how to use them at the enterprise level and how to regulate their use for employees. They’re also struggling with openness and transparency in the name of knowledge sharing while protecting competitive advantage.

The balance between openness, competition, and responsible deployment of AI is crucial as AI tools continue to evolve. Read the episode transcript here.

For more, listen to these prior episodes in full:

Out of the Lab and Into a Product: Microsoft’s Eric Boyd

If 10% of the World Were Developers: GitHub’s Mario Rodriguez

Sharing AI Mistakes: Partnership on AI’s Rebecca Finlay

Building Connections Through Open Research: Meta’s Joelle Pineau

AI on Mars: NASA’s Vandi Verma

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.

We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

Mary Davis, CEO of Special Olympics, wants the people she represents to “have a seat at the table” as AI evolves. In this episode of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast, Davis talks about her organization’s mission along with the growing role of AI and how it’s crucial to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities — a group often overlooked in tech discussions — are included in AI development.

Special Olympics helps people with intellectual disabilities through sports, education, and leadership programs. Its Unified Champion Schools program is an inclusive education initiative that benefits all students, both those with and without intellectual disabilities, reduces bullying, and improves academic performance.

Mary also shares the results of a study conducted by the Special Olympics and Harvard University citing strong support from parents, teachers, and the athletes themselves to use AI to support people with intellectual disabilities, especially in educational contexts. She sees AI as a powerful tool for “leveling the playing field” and describes specific applications that the Special Olympics is using for employees and athletes. Read the episode transcript here.

Guest bio:

Mary Davis has been the CEO of Special Olympics since 2016. She joined the nonprofit organization soon after college as a volunteer and coach in her native Ireland. She progressed through various leadership roles before becoming its global CEO: She was CEO of the Special Olympics World Summer Games Dublin 2003, the first such event held outside the United States; CEO of Special Olympics Ireland; and president and managing director of Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia. Davis was awarded a Person of the Year Award for her work on the 2003 World Summer Games and her years of service with Special Olympics Ireland.

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.

We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

On Sept. 4, 2024, Me, Myself, and AI host Sam Ransbotham moderated a panel discussion at a Georgetown University/World Bank event, Jobs in the Age of AI. Afterward, he interviewed keynote speaker Carl Benedikt Frey, Dieter Schwarz Associate Professor of AI and Work at the Oxford Internet Institute, and panelist Karin Kimbrough, LinkedIn’s chief economist. In this bonus episode recorded during this discussion, hear from Frey and Kimbrough about how artificial intelligence is impacting workers, labor trends, and the economy. Read the episode transcript here.

For further information:

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.

We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

Rebecca Finlay, CEO of Partnership on AI (PAI), believes that artificial intelligence poses risks — and that organizations should learn from one another and help others avoid the same hazards by disclosing the mistakes they’ve made in implementing the technology.

In this episode, Rebecca discusses the nonprofit’s work supporting the responsible use of AI, including how it’s incorporating global perspectives into its AI governance efforts. She also addresses the complexities of integrating AI into the workforce and the misleading narrative around the inevitability of AI taking over humans’ jobs. She advocates for a proactive approach to adopting the technology instead, where organizations, policy makers, and workers collaborate to that ensure AI enhances jobs rather than eliminating them. Read the episode transcript here.

Guest bio

Rebecca Finlay is CEO at Partnership on AI (PAI), a global nonprofit that brings together a cross-sector community of over 100 partners in 17 countries to ensure that developments in artificial intelligence advance positive outcomes for people and society. Working at the intersection of technology and society, Finlay has held leadership roles in civil society, research organizations, and industry.

Before joining PAI, she founded global research organization CIFAR’s AI & Society program, one of the first international multi-stakeholder initiatives on the impact of AI in society. Her insights have been featured in books and the media, including the Financial Times, The Guardian, Politico, and Nature Machine Intelligence. She has spoken at venues such as South by Southwest and the U.K. AI Safety Summit.

Finlay is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences and sits on advisory bodies in Canada, France, and the U.S. She holds degrees from McGill University and the University of Cambridge.

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.

We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

Jeremy Kahn’s investigation into the risks and effects of artificial intelligence are reflected in a new book, Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future. But he has also written extensively about the technology in his role as Fortune magazine’s AI editor. On today’s episode, he joins Sam and Shervin to share the insights on AI that he has gained through his work.

heir conversation explores a range of subjects, including people’s growing reliance on AI technology — specifically, generative AI, whose outputs are difficult, if not impossible, to trace back to a reliable source. They also discuss AI’s effect on critical thinking, how best to educate people about the technology’s risks and limitations, the value of cultivating employees’ adaptability, and how GenAI’s ability to simulate human interactions could be affecting people’s real-life interpersonal skills. Read the episode transcript here.

 Guest bio:

Jeremy Kahn is an award-winning journalist for Fortune magazine, where he covers artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. In addition to writing cover stories and features, he pens Fortune’s weekly “Eye on AI” newsletter and cochairs its Brainstorm AI technology conferences in his role as AI editor. Previously, he wrote about technology, including AI, for Bloomberg. His writing on a range of subjects has also appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, The Atlantic, Smithsonian magazine, The Boston Globe, The New Republic, and Slate. He has reported from India and much of South Asia, the Ivory Coast, Iraq, Venezuela, and most countries in Western Europe. He is the author of Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future (Simon & Schuster, 2024).

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.

We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

Andrew Rabinovich began his career in technology working on AI applications for cancer detection. He also spent time at Google, working on early iterations of products like Google Glass. Now at Upwork, as vice president and head of AI and machine learning, Rabinovich and his team are working to enhance the digital labor platform’s capabilities with AI solutions to enable more sophisticated matching of resources to projects.

On today’s episode, Andrew shares his views on the ways AI could take on more complex projects while using fewer resources. In the way of AI’s rapid progress, however, are slow advancements in hardware. While AI has made huge strides in cognition, he says, hardware struggles to match its capabilities, especially in wearable tech and robotics. Still, Andrew envisions a future with hyper-personalized digital assistants for everyone. Read the episode transcript here.

 Guest bio

Andrew Rabinovich is vice president and head of AI and machine learning at Upwork. He previously held R&D leadership positions at Google before joining augmented reality company Magic Leap as head of AI in 2015. In 2020, Rabinovich cofounded Headroom, an AI-powered videoconferencing platform that was acquired by Upwork in 2023. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from University of California, San Diego, and has studied machine learning with an emphasis in computer vision and multimodal AI for over 20 years. He has also authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and patents.

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.

We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

Alessandra Sala, senior director of data science and AI at Shutterstock, brings an impressive background in responsible AI to her role. Also the global president of Women in AI and cochair of the Women4Ethical AI platform at UNESCO, Alessandra joins this episode to describe how Shutterstock, widely known as a stock photo company, has become a go-to destination for creative assets — and AI training data.

Alessandra outlines Shutterstock’s content acquisition and royalty models, which reward contributors whose assets are used to train third parties’ AI models and have set the standard for other stock media companies. She argues that these ethical approaches aren’t just a moral choice — they offer strategic advantage, given that these assets are integral to shaping the future of AI-generated content. Learn how Alessandra’s team is leading the charge in ethical AI and redefining the creative landscape. Read the episode transcript here.

For more on model collapse — when AI models are trained on AI-generated content — see this recent New York Times article, “When AI’s Output Is a Threat to AI Itself.”

Guest Bio

Alessandra Sala is the senior director of AI and data science at Shutterstock. She has acquired more than 10 years of experience in research and innovation through her work in both academic and commercial environments. Sala is passionate about advanced analytics, machine learning, and computational models, with a focus on transitioning innovation from research to products.

Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Alanna Hooper.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn.

We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.