Seminars topic: Ideation is a cornerstone of organizational success, underpinning innovation, problem-solving, and competitive advantage. The emergence of Generative AI (GenAI) has transformed this process by expanding the idea space - the breadth of possible ideas - and improving idea fit - the alignment of ideas with organizational realities. This transformation raises key questions about whether and how GenAI enhances organizational performance, and which managerial level is best positioned to collaborate with GenAI given their distinct knowledge bases. This talk addresses these questions through a field experiment conducted with Sam’s Club, a leading membership-based warehouse retailer, in a cross-selling context where managers were tasked with identifying complementary product pairings to maximize promoted product sales revenue. Using a Double Machine Learning (DML) framework, the study finds that GenAI-assisted ideation increases sales revenue from promoted products by 9.76%, providing clear evidence of the performance benefits of GenAI integration.

Scholars Background: Dr. Karen Xie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Operations and Information Management at the University of Connecticut, USA. Her research focuses on algorithms and artificial intelligence, the platform economy, and market design.

Time and Location: December 11, 2025, 15:30–17:00, Room 523, School of Management

Language: EN