Xinyu Ma, PhD Candidate, The Wharton School; Lynn Wu, Operations, Information and Decisions, The Wharton School; Bowen Lou, USC
Abstract: Although it is well documented that disruptive events, such as an inventor’s premature death, cause a large and persistent decline in their co-inventor’s innovation performance, strategies to mitigate these negative effects remain unexplored. This project aims to understand how an inventor’s skill and proficiency in artificial intelligence (AI) could counteract the productivity decline resulting from a co-inventor’s demise. We intend to first identify the specific challenges facing inventors in staying innovative after the unexpected death of their close collaborators. Furthermore, we will examine how AI can help inventors overcome these challenges. Although our research setting is premature deaths of close collaborators, our study will offer boarder insights inventors on making strategic human capital investment amidst various uncertain and turbulent events. It will also provide a roadmap for firms in optimally allocating AI resources to foster a resilient ecosystem for innovation.