The “Inter-AI Period:” How Management Mathematics Can Help Shape An AI-Enabled Future
Nada R Sanders- Applied Mathematics
- Management Science and Operations Research
- Strategy and Management
- General Economics, Econometrics and Finance
- Modeling and Simulation
- Management Information Systems
Abstract
Launched in a post pandemic world primed for technological solutions, Gen AI marked the beginning of a transformational period. Uses, norms, standards, and values embedded in AI technology are evolving at a dizzying pace and are in flux. The current period—termed “the Inter-AI Period”—presents an opportunity for researchers in management mathematics to shape an AI-enabled future. This window of opportunity will be short, after which mathematical principles and decision processes embedded in AI algorithms will harden. Technological evolution will certainly continue thereafter. But the views, norms, practices, and strategies would have been embedded in the technology. It is up to researchers to act now to shape an AI-enabled future—one that harnesses the powers of AI but with guardrails to protect users and humanity. This invited essay is based on research involving interviews of dozens of business leaders and scholars and is intended as a call to action for researchers to grasp the gravity of this period and act now.