When Corporate AI Adoption Backfires

Mar 1, 2026

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Firms are increasingly adopting predictive artificial intelligence (AI) to improve decision-making by combining advanced data analysis with managerial judgment. While AI provides more precise information to support managerial decision-making, its adoption can nevertheless reduce shareholder profits and the aggregate welfare, when both managerial and AI-provided information on project quality are highly precise and managerial bias is uncertain ex ante. In such cases, investment misallocation worsens, with overinvestment in low-quality projects and underinvestment in high-quality ones, even after the manager's compensation contract has been re-optimized. We propose remedies through information design and contracting approaches. Our analysis underscores the importance of governance reforms to guide AI adoption beyond simply enhancing AI's precision. 


Joanne Chen

Joanne Chen

Boston University

Brandon Han

Brandon Han

University of Maryland