Business, AI, and Democracy (BAID)
About BAID
"Democracy is widely believed to be necessary for the sustainability of markets that encourage investment and innovation to achieve private and social objectives."
Surprisingly then, as political polling shows, democracies are living in a moment of crisis. Business is not isolated from these trends. This initiative will explore the impact of social and traditional media, government regulation, misinformation, and new and emerging technologies on democracy.
BAID Insights
Friend or Foe? Big Data as a Window Into Our Psychology
At an event hosted by CBS’s The Hub think tank, Professor Sandra Matz examines the algorithms that increasingly shape intricate digital profiles from our online activities.
With AI, ‘Don’t Fear, Steer,’ Says Professor Hod Lipson
In a discussion with CBS Professor Oded Netzer, the director of Columbia University's Creative Machines Lab offers reassurance on the technology’s dystopian risk and urges us to embrace its potential. His recommendation comes amid the "most dystopic" point yet – the transition between the third and fourth waves of AI.
From the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms
Columbia University Professor Chris Wiggins joins CBS Professor Bruce Kogut to discuss his new book How Data Happened, which explores the history of data and statistics from the end of the 18th century to the present day.
How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms
In a world swept up in heated debates about the risks artificial intelligence might pose to our jobs, our society, and our sanity, one might assume that AI is a relatively new concept and that its rapid emergence occurred out of nowhere.
But as Chris Wiggins, professor of applied mathematics and systems biology at Columbia University, points out, that couldn’t be further from the truth. “AI isn’t new,” he said, speaking about his new book, How Data Happened, co-authored with Matthew Jones, the James R. Barker Professor of Contemporary Civilization. “It’s a moving target. It means different things to different communities at different times.”
Understanding the Impact of AI on Team Performance: Challenges and Insights for Successful Integration
New CBS research uncovers the surprising impact on performance, team coordination, and morale of integrating artificial intelligence into teams of human workers.
Contention around the implications of artificial intelligence continues to grow. While workers worry automated agents will replace them, and business leaders ponder what tasks AI can fulfill best, one less-discussed topic is how well automated agents and human professionals work alongside each other in teams.
Latest Event Highlights
How could we use psychological targeting in a way that didn't lock us into our own echo chambers?
This was one of the topics that Columbia Business School Professor Sandra Matz explored in her insightful BAID The Hub at Columbia Business School Dear Mama Coffee Presentation 'Friend or Foe? Big Data as a Window into Our Psychology,' moderated by CBS Professor Gita Johar
In recent years, the media market in Russia has been reshaped by the government, affecting citizens' access to independent news sources. Experts believe media control and #censorship have intensified during the war with #Ukraine. Where do the Russian people go to get their news now, and how does it shape their beliefs?
Last week, Andrey Simonov, associate professor of marketing at Columbia Business School, explored the Russian media market and how it has evolved over the last year. Swipe to see photos from the compelling discussion.
This event, moderated by CBS professor Andrea Pratt, was part of a new speaker series presented by BAID @TheHub.
On March 27, 2023, the event discussed Ukraine's highly educated human capital and the need to attract foreign direct investment and align with the European Union for rebuilding, as part of BAID @The Hub's Dear Mama Coffee Speaker Series talk, 'A Marshall Plan for a Democratic Ukraine.'
Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Quantedge Presidential Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, discusses the need to attract foreign direct investment for rebuilding Ukraine.
Stay tuned for the recap and videos of the event's speaker highlights.
Past Events
A Marshall Plan for a Democratic Ukraine
Democratizing Alternative Energy Solutions to Cities
Held on: February 23, 2023
Location: Dear Mama 611 West 129th Street New York, NY 10027
The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century: with comments on Russia and Ukraine
Held on: October 20, 2022
Location: Columbia Business School, David Geffen Hall at 645 West 130th Street
Initiative Leadership
Led by Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Professor of Leadership and Ethics Bruce Kogut, in collaboration with CBS faculty, including Professors Ann Bartel, Gita Johar, Andrea Prat, Andrey Simonov, and external members like Professor Mario Small and Provost and Professor Sergei Guriev, BAID will conduct academic-quality studies and advocacy to stimulate public debate and exchange ideas to strengthen democracies.
Gita Johar
Gita V. Johar (PhD NYU 1993; MBA Indian Institute of Management Calcutta 1985) has been on the faculty of Columbia Business School since 1992 and is currently the Meyer Feldberg Professor of Business. She served as the school’s inaugural Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from 2019 to 2021, Faculty Director of Online Initiatives from 2014 to 2017, Senior Vice Dean from 2011 to 2014, and as the inaugural Vice Dean for Research from 2010 to 2011.
Bruce Kogut
Bruce Kogut is the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. He teaches courses on Governance, Governance and Ethics, and Business Strategies and Solving Social Problems. He has taught in executive programs in the US, Europe, and China.
Andrea Prat
Andrea Prat is the Richard Paul Richman Professor of Business at Columbia Business School and Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics, Columbia University. After receiving his PhD in Economics from Stanford University in 1997, he taught at Tilburg University and the London School of Economics. He joined Columbia in 2012.
Andrey Simonov
Andrey Simonov is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Columbia Business School. His research covers various topics related to the marketing and economics of media products, such as measuring advertising effectiveness, media persuasion, product design, and competition in media and digital product markets. Andrey’s papers have been published in top academic journals including Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Research, Quantitative Marketing and Economics, and Journal of Political Economy, and have received multiple awards and grants.
Hub Newsletter
The Hub is Columbia Business School's new think tank that explores the most pressing issues shaping the world today. Subscribe to our Newsletter and stay up-to-date with new Hub Events and Insights.
Hub Social Links
