Conversation with Leaders on ESG and Development: Machine Learning Failures - An Organizational Perspective
We're thrilled to share the latest in our "Conversation with Leaders on ESG and Development" series, hosted by the Wharton Zicklin Center for Governance and Business Ethics. This semester, we’re exploring the evolving ESG landscape, shaped by rising stakeholder demands, AI disruptions, climate change, and systemic challenges. Companies are increasingly pressured to balance financial returns with ESG responsibilities amidst confusing standards and the rise of greenwashing. Key discussions will include: How can businesses leverage innovation and nontraditional financing to meet ESG and SDGs goals? How do AI disruptions impact ESG/SDGs? What roles do leadership and social intrapreneurship play in enhancing ESG? What challenges exist in measurement and reporting, and how can technology, including AI, help solve these issues? What are the roles of other stakeholders, and how can Gen Z contribute?
Our first session featured Du?an Popovi?, Head of Data Science for Europe at AB InBev, who shared insights from his article "Avoid ML Failures by Asking the Right Questions
Key takeaways included:
- Data science projects often fail due to relatively minor gaps in communication between data scientists and their business stakeholders which cascade to serious misinterpretations of the business process, data or the model purpose. ?
- Asking the right questions is crucial but often not embedded in a company’s culture; hence leaders should actively encourage questioning with a beginner’s mindset
- Data scientists need to develop soft skills to better align with business partners, while later must deepen their understanding of technology and its limitations to successfully operate in increasingly complex competitive landscape
- Business leaders must provide strong sponsorship, address misaligned incentives and foster cross-functional collaboration to realize a significant return on investment on data science initiatives.
Participants raised thought-provoking questions about preparing students for AI-informed sustainability strategies design and implementation and the importance of balancing hard and soft skills in education.
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What role should professors play in better preparing their business, engineering, and science students for AI value co-creation opportunities, considering the growing and broader impact of AI on corporate and organizational strategy design and implementation? How should students reframe their approach to learning and take greater personal responsibility in college? This requires balancing hard and soft skills, such as asking smarter questions, and recognizing the critical role of human and emotional dimensions. Emotions, intrinsic biases, values, and behavioral habits can hinder innovative thinking and obscure assumptions about AI implementation in corporate and organizational settings.
Beyond the Lecture: This interactive session provided the participants and students enrolled in the Global Social Impact capstone course with a unique opportunity to tackle pressing development challenges, particularly within the realm of sustainability/ESG, SDGs, global development, and the imperative of human centered governance. Dusan's balanced approach to cutting edge knowledge and solving real world problems ignited an action-oriented dialogue, leaving participants inspired and empowered.
Our Vision: Through our teaching, research papers, publications, and this lecture series, we aim to equip students and young professionals with the skills to address the most pressing development challenges of their generation. We aspire to shape AI-informed value co-creation and impact in the context of sustainability/ESG, and development, prioritizing the voices most impacted by these efforts.
Join the Conversation: We invite you to continue this dialogue. Share your thoughts on AI-driven Sustainability/ESG, the power of human-centered solutions, and the role of academia, students, and young professionals in driving global development.
Head of Sustainability, Western Balkans Region | Doctor of Science in Media
5 个月Many thanks dear prof. Petkoski for stressing out such important topics and new trends in ESG. My opinion is that new techologies, like AI, could save us some time or give broader perspectives, as long as we use them with critical thinking and smart.
Student at University of Pennsylvania
5 个月Thank you for bringing such a great guest lecturer in, Professor! I enjoyed hearing from Du?an Popovi? about his experience with AI/ML. It was a great learning opportunity, especially the Q&A conversation at the end. Looking forward to the rest of the semester.
Senior at the Wharton School- University of Pennsylvania
5 个月Thank you for such an insightful and engaging session! A big thanks to both of the speakers for sharing their expertise and to Professor Petkoski for organizing this event.
University of Pennsylvania | Wharton School
5 个月Thank you, Professor Petkoski, for hosting an amazing guest lecture with Du?an Popovi?! It was a great opportunity to learn more about topics within the AI space and see class concepts come to life. I'm looking forward to more guest lectures as the semester goes on.
Head of Insights at Olson Zaltman
5 个月Excellent summary Djordjija Petkoski. In the in-depth ZMET research we are conducting, we are learning a lot about the human dimension in the implementation of AI. As suggested here, careful implementation of AI requires an examination of the mindset of the organization and its people. It can be as much a cultural shift as a technological one.