Articles

We’ve entered into the next phase of AI, agentic AI. No longer is AI only a tool that responds to prompts. Now, as agentic AI, it can be proactive, functioning as a teammate or colleague and work independent of human input or action. Unlike traditional AI tools that respond to prompts, agentic AI is proactive. It can independently take action and continue working with little human oversight. Applications already span customer service, logistics, finance and healthcare, signaling that this technology will play a major role in our future careers.

$25,000 a year for a family health insurance plan. A figure so staggering it made me do a double-take. The amount rivals the price of a car and does not even include out-of-pocket expenses. Until recently, this number — and health insurance in general — felt distant from my everyday life. As a second-year business student, I knew health insurance was important, but I had not really considered how these costs came to be or who was making the decisions behind them.

When logging into Outlook and other univeristy accounts, it’s not unusual to be forced to use multi-factor authentication to get access to my locked information. While annoying, with horror stories of identity theft, credit card fraud, and data breaches, I understand this step is necessary to protect my personal information. However, it wasn’t until attending a presentation by Kyndryl executive Eric Johnson that I realized the precautions I take to deter cyber threats are comparable to the cyber resiliency efforts that businesses must take.

This article was originally published on Forefront, Fisher College of Business's research and insight news page. The Risk Institute funded the research shared in this article. The Russia-Ukraine war and recent Middle East conflicts have brought geopolitical tension to the forefront of economic and policy debates, with key institutions like the IMF and the World Bank focusing on how these tensions and risks can affect global trade, financial stability and economic outcomes.

The launch of generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems like Chat GPT, Copilot, DALL-3, etc., has dramatically increased conversations around AI. From wondering how employees can use the technology to worrying about privacy and accuracy, business leaders are frantically trying to get a handle on how their organizations should approach this new technology and what risks it poses to their operations.

Change is inevitable. Trends come and go. Technological advances impact how employees work and businesses operate. Customer needs, wants and expectations shift. A business’s ability to keep pace with or stay ahead of change hinges on strategic planning, understanding its core competitive advantages and adjusting to industry disruptions.

Online banks are known for offering significantly better rates on deposits than traditional banks. New research from the Risk Institute's Isil Erel and her colleagues, examines how changes in federal fund rates impact the actions of online banks.

Cryptocurrency and blockchain are emerging industries that many are interested to learn about. Paul Grewal, chief legal officer at Coinbase, Inc., shared insights about his experiences and the industry at large, as well as his thoughts on regulation and how the U.S., particularly Ohio, are well-positioned to become leaders in blockchain and cryptocurrency

As the climate changes, extreme weather events are also likely to increase. A survey, conducted by the Risk Institute and led by Research Fellow Brittany Shoots-Reinhard, reveals the role of individual beliefs in sparking action to mitigate extreme weather risk.