Good Disruption: Humanoid Robots

From Wall-E and the Iron Giant to I Robot and Terminator, Hollywood has portrayed robots as friendly and misunderstood but also a technology to be feared if left in the wrong hands. Society has been fascinated with the idea of robots, ever since the term was introduced in the 1920s science fiction play “Rossum’s Universal Robots”. Today, humanoid robots are being designed not only to carry out simple tasks but also, display a broad range of emotions and react to people in real-time. But just because we can build it, should we?

Yael and Mike are joined on this episode by Professor Frank Li, an Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems at the UBC Sauder School of Business, a digital fellow at Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Digital Economy Lab, and a visiting fellow at NYU Stern Center for the Future of Management. Professor Li’s research stands at the nexus of the economics of information technology, focusing on AI and robots, technical skills and future of work, and organizational changes.

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About the Expert

Yael Grushka-Cockayne

Vice Dean; Senior Associate Dean for Professional Degree Programs; Altec Styslinger Foundation Bicentennial Professor of Business Administration

Grushka-Cockayne’s research and teaching activities focus on decision analysis, forecasting, project management and behavioral decision-making.

As an expert in the area of project management, she has served as a consultant to international firms in the aerospace and transportation industries. She is the secretary/treasurer of INFORMS Decision Analysis Society, a U.Va. Excellence in Diversity fellow and member the Project Management Institute.

B.Sc., Ben-Gurion University; M.Sc., London School of Economics; M.Res., Ph.D., London Business School

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About the Expert

Michael Lenox

Special Adviser for the Dean; Tayloe Murphy Professor of Business Administration

Lenox’s expertise is in the domain of technology strategy and policy. He studies the role of innovation in helping a business succeed. In particular, he explores the sourcing of external knowledge by firms and this practice’s impact on a company’s innovation strategy. Lenox has a longstanding interest in the interface between business strategy and public policy as it relates to the natural environment; his work explores firm strategies and nontraditional public policies that have the potential to drive green innovation and entrepreneurship.

In 2013, Lenox co-authored The Strategist’s Toolkit with Darden Professor Jared Harris. His latest book,

Lenox is a prolific author; his most recent book, Strategy in the Digital Age: Mastering Digital Transformation, examines how digital technologies and services enable the creation of innovative products and services, as well as identifying new competitive positions.

B.S., M.S., University of Virginia; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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