Will Machine Learning Make You a Better Manager?

Thirty years ago, the idea of a machine learning on its own would have stoked the worst kind of sci-fi nightmares about robots taking over the planet. These days, machine learning is so commonplace, we barely notice it. Computers routinely learn what we watch on TV, what we buy, how we talk, and even how we feel--and use that to make predictions about how we'll act next. As the field of machine learning (ML) has become increasingly mainstream, says Harvard Business School doctoral student Mike Teodorescu, it has evolved into the reach of everyday companies, who are increasingly using ML to manage many aspects of their business operations. "There's been an explosion," Teodorescu says.