teams to consider how chatbots could meet the needs of PGE’s more than 2,800 employees who work in offices and in the field on the company’s power distribution system. Over the course of the semester, the class developed a detailed framework for evaluating commercially available chatbots according to PGE’s criteria. They ran evaluations on chatbots from Microsoft, Google, OpenAI and other developers. The PGE project was not the first for Zhu. She has advised other student teams working with Daimler Trucks North America and Burgerville. Within the college, students also are developing a chatbot to help their peers navigate the complexities of program requirements and course options. Other faculty members are digging into the use of AI tools in employee performance evaluation, social media analytics and vendor negotiations. For example, employees tend to distrust automated performance evaluation systems. Even as AI-based evaluation expands, managers play a crucial role in working “carefully, vigilantly and conscientiously” to align employee behavior with company policies, wrote Keith Leavitt, professor of management, recently in Academy of Management Review, a top management journal. Social media analysis may offer clues for marketing and product development. Xiaohui Chang and Tim Kaskela, associate professor and assistant professor of business analytics respectively, use AI tools to analyze social media data. Chang evaluates the spread of misinformation while Kaskela focuses on user sentiments and content analysis. AI can assist in one of the most difficult aspects of business development: negotiating contracts for supplies and personnel. Laura Rees, associate professor of organizational behavior, delves into socially interactive aspects of AI, including how it presents emotional cues. In class, her students gain experience in both negotiating with AI and designing their own AI negotiation agents. For Scott, the rapid changes in the AI landscape bring uncertainty, but also opportunity. “We know there’s a lot of concern about how AI will be used in the future and believe business has a unique and important role to play in finding ways to ensure that it works toward the greater good,” Scott said. “This is not just about computers and software for us — it’s about how we can create the brightest possible future using these amazing new tools.” Business Matters | 13
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==