The AI-Powered Org: Evolution, Rebirth or Death?
Course Subject: Organizational Behavior
Course Code: BUSGEN 101
Instructor: Amir Goldberg
Course Quarter: Spring 2025
What does the AI revolution mean for the future of work, careers and organizations? The course will start with an overview of leading theories of organizations, all of which were effectively modeled on the 20th century firm. We will then turn to understanding recent developments in machine learning and AI, from the point of view of an informed user (rather than a technical developer), ranging from foundation language models to Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO) implemented using blockchain technology. These will form the basis for an ongoing discussion about the future of organizations in the age of AI.
Is this merely another phase in the modern organization's evolution, is this a paradigmatic redefinition of its structure and function, or is this a cataclysmic moment heralding the end of organizations as the central building blocks of economic activity? We will (speculatively) discuss these issues from a broad perspective, investigating how AI is already impacting work and organizational structures, as well as these changes' broader social implications (such as their effect on work/life balance, the gendered division of labor in the household, and the structure of community). The implications for business and management are clear: AI is already impacting organizational life and will continue to do so as technologies mature and their business models are refined.
Amir Goldberg
Professor Goldberg received bachelor’s degrees in computer science and film studies from Tel Aviv University, and an MA in sociology from Goldsmith’s College, University of London. Before pursuing a PhD in sociology at Princeton University, he worked for several years as a software programmer, an IT consultant, and a technology journalist. An associate professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, his research projects all share an overarching theme: the desire to understand the social mechanisms that underlie how people construct meaning, and consequently pursue action. His work has been published in the American Journal of Sociology, the American Sociological Review, Management Science and the Review of Financial Studies.