Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad AI? Fear and Loathing of AI and How Business Anthropologists Can Get Over It
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22439/jba.v15i1.7809Abstract
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) presents opportunities and challenges for business anthropology. It offers analytical efficiencies, but requires well-informed, judicious use. Some anthropologists are hesitant to incorporate GenAI in their work based on their lack of understanding and/or concerns about it, including a belief that the human elements of anthropological practice will be compromised. This essay summarizes barriers to GenAI adoption among anthropologists, illustrates GenAI’s utility in research, and proposes ways for business anthropologists to apply GenAI to augment rather than replace anthropological insight. When used carefully, GenAI can enhance business anthropology by streamlining and expanding analysis while enabling anthropologists to maintain their interpretative distinctiveness. Although some anthropologists have valid concerns about using AI in their professional practice, GenAI represents a fundamental evolution, perhaps a revolution, for business anthropology that will invigorate our discipline.
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