Why AI Fails Without Process Redesign

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Posted in News

Over three billion people are using generative AI, yet business leaders and policymakers are still asking the same question: where is the big productivity boost? A new study from the Center for Business and Public Policy at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business reveals the problem. Buying shiny new tech isn’t the same as changing how work actually gets done.

Key Findings

Treating AI as a quick “plug-and-play” tool built on top of old systems usually backfires, causing entry-level job cuts and worker pushback. Instead, the real wins happen when companies redesign their entire workflow and use AI as a “thinking partner” to support human judgment.

The study, authored by Timothy DeStefano, associate research professor at Georgetown McDonough, and Caroline Warren, assistant director for the center, offers a blueprint for translating AI’s potential into measurable economic performance.

Read the Economic Policy Vignette – Plug, Play, and Pray: Why AI Fails Without Process Redesign.

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