HYPE, HUMANITY & THE AI CURVE

The future belongs to leadears who turn AI hype into value and shape how humanity evolves alongside it.

- ANNE-FRANCES HUTCHINSON

The Al movement is here, but don’t mistake momentum for mastery. According to Harvard-affiliated economist and futurist Mark Esposito, we're still in the early stages of artificial intelligence. Adoption is accelerating but impact is lagging. “It’s as if we’re expected to revel in the party, without knowing what we're celebrating yet,” he said. Despite all the hype, most organizations are struggling to monetize Al, investing in tools that dazzle more than deliver. Esposito urges leaders to rethink their approach, shifting from tech-first hype to human-centered strategy.

Mark Esposito is a leading global voice on AI and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. A member of the World Economic Forum’s Global AI Alliance, he’s also affiliated with multiple research centers at Harvard, including the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard Law School and the Institute for Quantitative Social Science.

On the ground, most companies still haven’t figured out how to turn artificial intelligence into real revenue. It can be likened to a fireworks show; it’s dazzling, attention-grabbing, and impossible to ignore, but there’s nothing left behind; it doesn’t create lasting value.

As such, Esposito cautions against accumulating tech debt by adopting flashy tools that fail to generate meaningful returns.