A Brave New World of HR Research: Dr. Valery Yakubovich on the GenAI Revolution
Sat Feb 07 2026
Dr. Valery Yakubovich, Executive Director of the Mack Institute for Innovation Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, discusses his research titled “A Brave New World of Human Resources Research: Navigating Perils and Identifying Grand Challenges of the GenAI Revolution.”
In this episode of Business Talk, Deepak Bhatt speaks with Dr. Valery Yakubovich, Executive Director of the Mack Institute for Innovation Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, about his research on how Generative AI is reshaping Human Resources and the new risks and research questions it creates. Dr. Yakubovich contrasts GenAI with traditional HR technologies by highlighting its “black box” processes, ability to work with unstructured inputs, and inherently variable outputs, features that make it powerful but harder to govern. He argues that many organizations face a “data foundation” problem (silos, uncertain quality, weak governance), which will likely become a key source of competitive advantage as firms increasingly compete on data readiness. The conversation also explores shifting employee attitudes from algorithmic aversion to greater AI acceptance, and it outlines practical pathways for adoption: building trust through bottom-up use cases, top-down leadership role-modeling, and structured experimentation, alongside ethical guardrails such as randomization where appropriate, continuous audits, and keeping humans in the loop for consequential decisions.
This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com.
Disclaimer:
A. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.
B. Dr. Valery Yakubovich shared insightful perspectives from his research, “A Brave New World of Human Resources Research: Navigating Perils and Identifying Grand Challenges of the GenAI Revolution”, during his conversation on the Business Talk podcast channel. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.
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Dr. Valery Yakubovich, Executive Director of the Mack Institute for Innovation Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, discusses his research titled “A Brave New World of Human Resources Research: Navigating Perils and Identifying Grand Challenges of the GenAI Revolution.” In this episode of Business Talk, Deepak Bhatt speaks with Dr. Valery Yakubovich, Executive Director of the Mack Institute for Innovation Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, about his research on how Generative AI is reshaping Human Resources and the new risks and research questions it creates. Dr. Yakubovich contrasts GenAI with traditional HR technologies by highlighting its “black box” processes, ability to work with unstructured inputs, and inherently variable outputs, features that make it powerful but harder to govern. He argues that many organizations face a “data foundation” problem (silos, uncertain quality, weak governance), which will likely become a key source of competitive advantage as firms increasingly compete on data readiness. The conversation also explores shifting employee attitudes from algorithmic aversion to greater AI acceptance, and it outlines practical pathways for adoption: building trust through bottom-up use cases, top-down leadership role-modeling, and structured experimentation, alongside ethical guardrails such as randomization where appropriate, continuous audits, and keeping humans in the loop for consequential decisions. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com. Disclaimer: A. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. B. Dr. Valery Yakubovich shared insightful perspectives from his research, “A Brave New World of Human Resources Research: Navigating Perils and Identifying Grand Challenges of the GenAI Revolution”, during his conversation on the Business Talk podcast channel. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.