Episode 56
“I’ve been studying AI for many years. I’m really excited about this movement of generative AI, especially the creation of personal bots.
These are bots that can communicate like individuals. We created a bot for the CEO, and the CEO’s employees couldn’t distinguish whether the communication was coming from the human CEO or the bot CEO.
…You can send the bot to three meetings at the same time. When the person is sleeping, the bot can participate in meetings or engage in some Q&A on Slack. So it’s just going to bridge the barriers of space and time, and allow for work-from-anywhere in a different way. But it also creates its own new challenges.”
Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury is the Lumry Family Associate Professor at the Harvard Business School. He was an Assistant Professor at Wharton prior to joining Harvard. His research is focused on studying the future of work, especially the changing geography of work. In particular, he studies the productivity effects of geographic mobility of workers, causes of geographic immobility, and productivity effects of flexible work practices. He is an Associate Editor at Management Science and was included in the 2023 Forbes Future of Work-50 list.
Professor Choudhury holds a doctorate from Harvard University, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, and a Bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology. Prior to his roles in academia, he spent a decade as a consultant with McKinsey and working for technology firms such as Microsoft and IBM.
His new book — The World Is Your Office: How Work from Anywhere Boosts Talent, Productivity, and Innovation — was published recently by Harvard Business Review Press. It is a research-based deep dive into a growing phenomenon — companies allowing employees to work from anywhere — and how those who adopt this model can boost talent, innovation, and productivity. It was our great honor to be able to speak to Professor Choudhury about the themes of the book and the research work that went into its publication.