Cognitive Moats

Himanshu
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A weekly podcast hosted by Himanshu Warudkar — unpacking academic research on AI, organisational strategy, and business models for technology leaders and practitioners. Every week, Himanshu picks one research paper and turns it into an engaging conversation — making dense academic scholarship accessible and actionable for practitioners. Available on Spotify.

  1. 5d ago

    Artificial Intelligence as an Organizing Capability

    This academic article proposes a significant ontological shift in how we understand artificial intelligence, moving away from viewing it as a standalone entity or autonomous agent. The authors argue that AI is more accurately defined as an organizing capability that is fundamentally connective, codependent, and emergent. Rather than residing solely within software, this capability arises through the complex system of relations between human participants and learning algorithms. By focusing on these human-algorithm relations, the research highlights how organizational tasks like analysing, learning, and acting are collectively produced rather than pre-programmed. Ultimately, this perspective suggests that AI is a doing and becoming process that reconfigures organizational structures, power dynamics, and intelligence.

  2. Jul 19

    The Weak Link: AI Productivity Across the Software Hierarchy

    This National Bureau of Economic Research paper investigates the productivity impact of generative AI on software development by tracking three generations of coding tools. The authors analyse data from over 100,000 GitHub developers to compare simple autocomplete features, interactive sync agents, and autonomous async agents. While these tools dramatically increase task-level activity, such as code volume and commit frequency, the study reveals that these gains diminish significantly as they move toward final output. This attenuation is attributed to a "weak-link" effect, where human bottlenecks in code review and project management limit the overall speed of software releases. Finally, the research finds that while AI has increased the supply of new applications in digital marketplaces, there has been no corresponding increase in total user engagement.

  3. Jul 11

    The sound of progress: AI voice agents in service

    The future of customer experience is no longer just conversational—it’s deeply vocal. 🎙️Many organizations still rely on robotic, inflexible Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems that frustrate customers. While digital assistants like Siri or Alexa set the stage for basic voice interaction, modern service organizations need to aim much higher

  4. Jul 5

    Social Presence in Human–AI Collaboration Processes

    This research investigate the psychological and social effects of integrating artificial intelligence into collaborative work teams. Through three empirical studies, the authors explore how an AI teammate's social presence influences a person's motivation to contribute to collective tasks. The results indicate that while people initially perceive AI as having less presence than humans, this gap can be narrowed by increasing the transparency and familiarity of the system. Crucially, the studies reveal that social presence does not always drive productivity directly; instead, it works by fostering a willingness to depend on others and a sense of team-oriented commitment. Ultimately, the findings suggest that successful human–AI collaboration relies less on making robots look human and more on building interpersonal trust and clear operational understanding.

  5. Jul 5

    The Acceleration of Artificial Intelligence: Rethinking Organization and Work

    This academic editorial from the Journal of Management Studies examines the profound ways artificial intelligence is currently reshaping work, leadership, and institutional structures. The authors argue that scholarly research must move beyond treating AI as a single tool, proposing instead a heuristic framework that distinguishes between predictive, generative, agentic, and embodied systems. By categorising these different modes, the text clarifies how specific technologies alter core organisational concepts such as expert authority, decision-making, and professional identity. The collection explores the human-AI relationship, highlighting tensions between algorithmic efficiency and human judgment alongside the risks of occupational displacement. Ultimately, the sources set a comprehensive research agenda to address the governance, ethics, and shifting power dynamics defined by this rapid technological acceleration. Throughout the analysis, the writers emphasise that AI acts as an active participant in organisational life rather than a passive instrument.

  6. Jun 28

    AI Apology: A Framework for Trust Repair in Intelligent Systems

    We've all seen AI fail in customer service. But how should your AI system apologize to actually repair trust?Recent research on "AI Apology" highlights that as we deploy more customer-facing AI—from support chatbots to hospitality robots—we must intentionally design how they recover from mistakes. A poorly designed apology can severely damage the user's perception of your system, while a good one makes the AI seem more trustworthy and easy to work with.If you are building or adopting AI for customer interactions, here is a practical, research-backed framework for designing effective AI apologies.

  7. Jun 14

    The Influence of Human–GenAI Hybrids on Service System Transformation Mechanisms

    This research examines how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) acts as an agentic force that transforms service systems through its interaction with human actors. By moving beyond the view of technology as a passive tool, the authors introduce the concept of human–GenAI hybrids that co-create hybrid intelligence and alter traditional task delegation. The paper identifies two unique GenAI capabilities, autoreflexivity and autoreformation, which allow these hybrids to recognise and intentionally reshape the institutional arrangements governing service exchanges. These dynamics influence the mechanisms of transformation, leading to more frequent and rapid phase transitions within service ecosystems. Ultimately, the study challenges human-centric assumptions in service design by positioning GenAI as an active contributor to systemic change and market evolution.

  8. Jun 7

    Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking

    In our fast-paced, unpredictable business environments, leaders constantly face chaotic challenges. Weick and his co-authors remind us that we don't just decide our way out of chaos; we "make sense" of it. Sensemaking involves turning an overwhelming flow of circumstances into a situation that is comprehended in words and serves as a springboard into action. It’s the critical moment when a team collectively asks, “what’s the story here?” and “what do we do next?”.

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About

A weekly podcast hosted by Himanshu Warudkar — unpacking academic research on AI, organisational strategy, and business models for technology leaders and practitioners. Every week, Himanshu picks one research paper and turns it into an engaging conversation — making dense academic scholarship accessible and actionable for practitioners. Available on Spotify.

Information

  • Creator
    Himanshu
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Himanshu
  • Show Website
    Cognitive Moats