Procter & Gamble believes that organizations should rethink their management to better take advantage of the innovation enabled by generative AI.
The consumer goods giant has been AI-curious since several years ago and recently conducted a research to assess the technology’s potential value for its operations.
With partial funding from Harvard Business School – the recipient of Procter & Gamble’s generousity since 2023 – eggheads from HBS and Wharton Business School, France’s ESSEC Business School and Procter & Gamble themselves studied 776 professionals tasked to real-world product innovations challenges.
The study’s goal was to determine the performance of human workers when they worked with or without AI assistance. This included both working individually and as part of a team. Participants were asked to create a product or service that addressed a real business need.
This study addressed three questions.
- Can generative AI achieve comparable performance gains as a human team does? Does generative AI enhance the experience of employees without specialized knowledge? Does generative AI create a social engagement similar to that which people experience when they collaborate with peers?
Overall, the results were positive. It’s funny. The study found that
“Our findings show that AI replicates many of the benefits of human collaboration, acting as a ‘cybernetic teammate,'” . “Individuals [working] with AI produce solutions at a quality level comparable to two-person teams, indicating that AI can indeed stand in for certain collaborative functions.”
The Research Team – Fabrizio Del’acqua and Charles Ayoubi as well as Raffaella Saun, Ethhan Mollick Liluch Mollick Mollick Ye han, Jeff Goldman Hari Nair Stawart Taub and Karim Lake – Found That Generative Ai Assisted Individuals to “bridge gaps in their knowledge” similar to consulting a colleague.
- Because AI cannot touch these jobs, they will grow the fastest.
- Study shock. AI is a hindrance to productivity and makes work worse
- GenAI will take over jobs that were once thought to be’safe’ against automation
- The workplace AI revolution is a myth
They also found that working with generative AI assistants was more emotionally fulfilling than working alone. The authors noted “professionals reported more positive emotions and fewer negative emotions when engaging with AI compared to working alone, matching the emotional benefits traditionally associated with human teamwork.”
That prior HBS research concluded that interacting AI models can reduce loneliness.
It’s left us wondering whether the self-reported emotions of study participants are a result of self-delusion. The AI industry continues anthropomorphizing its products. However, these systems produce vector mathematics predictions based on lots of data. If we accept the paper’s proposition that “AI can substitute for some of the emotional benefits typically associated with teamwork,” then we should celebrate the warmth radiated from the quiet but supportive office print [during the rare few moments of the year when it is actually working – Ed.
Rage Against the Machine
Some people are not inclined to accept AI assistance without suspicion. A 2021 study [PDF] titled “What Happens When Humans Believe Their Teammate is an AI? An Investigation into Humans Teaming with Autonomy,” on human and AI teamwork found that teams consisting of humans and machines tends to perform worse than all-human teams. This is partly due to a lack of trust in error-prone models, a useful instinct that was only lightly touched upon in the Procter & Gamble Project. Procter & Gamble has clearly fallen in love with AI, assuming a certain level of AI reliability. Victor Aguilar is P&G’s chief research and innovation officer. He said
“This study affirms what we’ve long suspected: AI is a game-changer for innovation,” in a press release. The Register is waiting for evidence that AI can help innovate in Proctor & Gamble products such as Pringles. Oral-B. Old Spice. Gillette. Metamucil. (r)
