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From Heron of Alexandria to Amazon’s Alexa: a stylized history of AI and its impact on business models, organization and work

Author

Listed:
  • Lucrezia Fanti

    (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore)

  • Dario Guarascio

    (Sapienza University of Rome)

  • Massimo Moggi

    (Westpole)

Abstract

This paper explores the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on business models, organization and work. First, we provide a stylized history of AI highlighting the technological, organizational and market-related factors fostering its diffusion and transformative potential. We show how AI evolved from being a scientific field to a mostly corporate-dominated field characterized by strong concentration of technological and economic power. Second, we analyze the consequences of AI adoption for business models, organization and work. Our discussion contributes to show how the development and diffusion of this technological domain gives new strength to the lean-production paradigm - in both manufacturing and service sectors - by contributing to the establishment of the new ‘digital Taylorism’.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucrezia Fanti & Dario Guarascio & Massimo Moggi, 2022. "From Heron of Alexandria to Amazon’s Alexa: a stylized history of AI and its impact on business models, organization and work," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 49(3), pages 409-440, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:epolin:v:49:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s40812-022-00222-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s40812-022-00222-4
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrea Coveri & Claudio Cozza & Dario Guarascio, 2023. "Blurring boundaries: an analysis of the digital platforms-military nexus," LEM Papers Series 2023/47, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    2. Federico Boffa & Amedeo Piolatto & Evila Piva & Florian Schuett, 2022. "Industry dynamics in digital markets," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 49(3), pages 401-407, September.
    3. Pedota, Mattia, 2023. "Big data and dynamic capabilities in the digital revolution: The hidden role of source variety," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(7).
    4. Dario Guarascio & Jelena Reljic & Giacomo Cucignatto & Giuseppe Celi & Annamaria Simonazzi, 2023. "Between a rock and a hard place. Long-term drivers of EU structural vulnerability," Working Papers in Public Economics 237, University of Rome La Sapienza, Department of Economics and Law.

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