Why AI Isn’t Delivering (yet) in business | Jen Stave, HBS AI Institute

AI is moving fast, but most companies are still figuring out what it actually means for how they work and grow. In this episode, Melissa Mahtani sits down with Jennifer Stave, Launch Director of Harvard Business School’s AI Institute, to unpack what companies are getting right – and wrong – about AI adoption. Jennifer shares lessons learned from her “clinical trials” model for testing AI in real business environments and explains why you can’t be an AI optimist or pessimist, only a human one. We also dive into:The disconnect between AI’s promise and AI in practiceHow important humans are to technological changeThe role of tacit knowledge in AI adoptionWhy AI should lead to employee enhancement not replacementHow Agentic AI is changing what it means to be a manager Why “Tokenmaxxing” isn’t a good incentive for AI adoptionWhy traditional ROI metrics don’t work for AIAbout Jennifer Stave:Jennifer Stave is the Launch Director of the Harvard Business School AI Institute, where she leads efforts to study how generative AI is transforming firms, leadership, and strategy. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between rapid technological advancement and real-world business adoption, partnering directly with companies to develop practical frameworks for safe and effective AI deployment.Resources: → Learn more about The AI Lab: https://www.theailab.ai/ → Connect with Melissa Mahtani: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-mahtani/ → Connect with Jennifer Stave: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-stave/ → Send listener questions: [email protected]