Executive Education White Paper

Artificial Intelligence in Managerial Decision‑Making

With Yannick Meiller Professor at ESCP Business School

While AI does not yet match its cinematic representations, methodologies such as machine learning are turning it into a valuable tool for managers and businesses when it comes to decision-making and creating innovative solutions.

In Iron Man, it is omniscient and helps Tony Stark with all of his tasks and missions. In Her, it enters into a strange romantic relationship with a human being. In Matrix, it defends its turf against rebels. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, it is both a member of the crew and a paranoid enemy.

his "it" refers to Artificial Intelligence (IA). A source of endless inspiration for directors in Hollywood and elsewhere, but also a reality in today’s business world. Though it is not yet as impressive as Jarvis, or as sensitive as HAL, AI is ubiquitous. In the software we use every day, in our smartphones, tablets and computers, and in our offices and homes with the spread of home automation and virtual assistants.

AI was long seen as a technology for automating low-value tasks. When it comes to searching for information, analysing data, collecting content or finding correlations between different variables, AI is unparalleled. It works 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. It is behind Amazon, Netflix, Office 365, Oracle, Adobe and many professional solutions. However, numerous algorithms are being developed for more complex tasks that touch upon managerial skills to offer predictive and prescriptive solutions.

How then will AI impact managerial decision-making? Can we imagine that machines will make the right decisions? Will these decisions create team buy-in? This is a booming area of research and the advances made in recent years are staggering. Machine learning, deep learning, facial recognition, quantum computing, neural networks: these are some of the terms that hold the key to artificial intelligence.

Yannick Meiller, academic co-director of the Data Sciences Certificate, tackles these questions in this fascinating white paper.

This white paper is part of a series entitled “Leaders for the Future”, produced by ESCP Business School Executive Education, that addresses the needs of companies and professionals so that they can thrive in the face of challenges and a rapidly shifting business landscape.