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  • January–February 2020
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review

Competing in the Age of AI

By: Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani
  • Format:Print
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Abstract

Today’s markets are being reshaped by a new kind of firm—one in which artificial intelligence (AI) runs the show. This cohort includes giants like Google, Facebook, and Alibaba, and growing businesses such as Wayfair and Ocado. Every time we use their services, the same thing happens: Rather than relying on processes run by employees, the value we get is delivered by algorithms. Software is at the core of the enterprise, and humans are moved off to the side. This model frees firms from traditional operating constraints and enables them to compete in unprecedented ways. AI-driven processes can be scaled up very rapidly, allow for greater scope because they can be connected to many kinds of businesses, and offer very powerful opportunities for learning and improvement. And while the value of scale eventually begins to level off in traditional models, in AI-based ones, it never stops climbing. All of that allows AI-driven firms to quickly overtake traditional ones. As AI models blur the lines between industries, strategies are relying less on specialized expertise and differentiation based on cost, quality, and branding and more on business network position, unique data, and the deployment of sophisticated analytics.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence; Algorithms; Technological Innovation; Business Model; Competition; Competitive Strategy; AI and Machine Learning

Citation

Iansiti, Marco, and Karim R. Lakhani. "Competing in the Age of AI." Harvard Business Review 98, no. 1 (January–February 2020): 60–67.
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About The Authors

Marco Iansiti

Technology and Operations Management
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Karim R. Lakhani

Technology and Operations Management
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More from the Authors
  • How Status of Research Papers Affects the Way They Are Read and Cited By: Misha Teplitskiy, Eamon Duede, Michael Menietti and Karim R. Lakhani
  • Potentially Long-Lasting Effects of the Pandemic on Scientists By: Jian Gao, Yian Yin, Kyle R. Myers, Karim R. Lakhani and Dashun Wang
  • Customer-Centric Design with Artificial Intelligence: Commonwealth Bank By: Karim R. Lakhani, Yael Grushka-Cockayne, Jin Hyun Paik and Steven Randazzo
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