IE Insights

When Coaching Meets Data | IE Insights Creating effective leadership pipelines remains a challenge for many organizations, but AI-enabled analytics and personalized coaching offer promising solutions, writes Francisco Chabran.

Creating effective leadership pipelines remains a challenge for many organizations, but AI-enabled analytics and personalized coaching offer promising solutions, writes Francisco Chabran. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The UN at 80: Still the World’s Stage? | IE Insights As tte UN turns 80, financial strain and political paralysis are placing it under an urgent need to reform or risk irrelevance, writes Borja Santos Porras.

As the UN turns 80, financial strain and political paralysis are placing it under an urgent need to reform or risk irrelevance. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The Bittersweet History of Chocolate: From Aztec Gold to Global Empire | IE Insights From its origins in Mesoamerican cultures to its transformation into a global industry, Historian Nikita Harwich details the unstoppable rise of chocolate into one of the world’s most consumed commodi...

From its origins in Mesoamerican cultures to its transformation into a global industry, historian Nikita Harwich details the unstoppable rise of chocolate into one of the world’s most consumed commodities. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

Authentic Leadership for Uncertain Times | IE Insights Authentic leaders must be self-aware in order to guide teams with clarity through uncertainty, writes Budimir Sever.

"AI can simulate knowledge and optimize processes, but it cannot listen with empathy, earn trust, or inspire belief. That remains the work of leaders." www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Federica Mogherini on Trump, Iran, and When to Step Away | IE Insights IE Insights is IE University's knowledge hub that provides research based analysis and fresh ideas on how way we live, work, and coexist around the world.

Power & Purpose is a new podcast series hosted by
@nathalietocci.bsky.social and Amanda Sloat that features candid conversations w/global leaders, focused on personal narratives and timely political insights. Listen to the latest episode with Federica Mogherini: www.ie.edu/insights/pod...

Regulating AI Without Strangling Innovation | IE Insights Global AI regulation is diverging, with the U.S. prioritizing innovation, the EU enforcing rights-based safeguards, and China accelerating strategic control, writes Adriana Hoyos.

Global AI regulation is diverging, with the U.S. prioritizing innovation, the EU enforcing rights-based safeguards, and China accelerating strategic control, writes Adriana Hoyos. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The False Promise of AI in Classrooms | IE Insights AI is changing classrooms fast—but not always for the better. Professor Wayne Holmes of University College London explains why tools like ChatGPT won’t fix education and what we risk by misunderstandi...

Unlike MOOCs and learning management systems, generative AI entered higher education at the student level. LLMs like ChatGPT essentially appeared overnight & students around the world were suddenly using them. @wayne-holmes.bsky.social on how AI is changing the classroom: www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

What Comes After GDP? | IE Insights Development is more than GDP. Progress should instead be focused on a human-centered vision—rooted in well-being, equity, and sustainability, writes Borja Santos Porras.

While GDP has long been a convenient yardstick for economic performance, it falls short in capturing the full scope of human advancement, writes Borja Santos. There is growing interest in alternative ways of measuring progress.
www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The Ethics of AI: Who Controls the Future? | IE Insights AI's rapid rise is raising ethical concerns and security risks, including its potential use in terrorism. David Leslie explores the challenges and explains how we can ensure responsible AI development...

AI is scaling faster than any technology in history. That brings much promise, and also risk: misinformation, inequality, cultural bias, concentrated power. David Leslie @theturing.bsky.social asks whether generative AI be treated as a public utility, like energy or water. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

From Envy to Inspiration | IE Insights Professor Kriti Jain explains how we can train ourselves to use workplace envy as an opportunity to both better ourselves and increase our appreciation of those around us.

Did your colleague get that promotion you were aiming for? Another team win the project? You might be a bit envious now (to put it nicely.) In fact, envy is quite a common feeling in the workplace -- Kriti Jain explains how to use it to your advantage.
www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Can AI Own an Idea? | IE Insights WIth AI art and text, who owns the content being created? Elena Garrigues explores the intellectual property debate surrounding AI-generated content.

An idea is the product of mental activity. It's a thought or concept. So, who owns that mental activity? Is it restricted to humans or can it also include machines?

If you expect a clear cut answer like a yes or a no, sit tight. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

Unlocking Europe's Investment Potential | IE Insights As foreign investment shifts toward the US and Asia, the EU must fix its red tape and fragmented markets if it wants to compete, writes Patricia Gabaldón.

If Europe wants to reclaim its spot as a top destination for foreign investment, it needs to act fast:

-- Tackle macroeconomic disruptions head-on
-- Simplify regulations
-- Complete the Capital Markets Union
-- Strengthen public-private synergies

www.ie.edu/insights/art... by Patricia Gabaldón

Rethinking AI in Credit Decision-Making | IE Insights AI is reshaping credit decisions, but at what cost? Balancing predictive power with transparency is key to ensuring trust in financial systems, write Guillermo de Haro Rodríguez and Andrés Alonso.

In the age of artificial intelligence, your chances of getting a loan are increasingly shaped not by a person but by an algorithm. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

“What if the greatest risk of artificial intelligence isn’t job displacement, but something far more insidious: the creation of professionals who appear competent but lack the judgment to back it up?”

Mobility Is a Platform. For Europe, It's a Geopolitical Test | IE Insights Europe’s automobile sector faces a pivotal test: adapt to a data-driven, platform-based future or fall into decline, writes Dan Ciuriak.

Europe’s automobile sector faces a pivotal test: adapt to a data-driven, platform-based future or fall into decline, writes @ciuriakd.bsky.social. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Swiftonomics and the New Rules of Guest Experience | IE Insights Mega-events like Taylor Swift’s tours can transform hospitality from rigid traditions to dynamic, culturally aware services, writes Peter Varga.

"The key lesson for hospitality is simple: rigidity is a liability."

Mega-events like Taylor Swift’s tours are pushing #hospitality beyond rigid traditions toward more dynamic, culturally responsive services. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

What Comes After GDP? | IE Insights Development is more than GDP. Progress should instead be focused on a human-centered vision—rooted in well-being, equity, and sustainability, writes Borja Santos Porras.

"How we define progress shapes how we pursue it. When GDP is treated as the sole benchmark, the focus narrows to economic growth alone, sidelining critical dimensions such as well-being, equity, and sustainability." www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Sustainable Branding Needs a CFO Lens | IE Insights To turn sustainability into brand value, marketers must think like CFOs—linking green initiatives to risk, return, and long-term financial performance, writes Gabriela Salinas.

To prove the branding value of sustainability, marketers must go beyond glossy campaigns and speak the language of finance: risk, return, evidence. That means thinking like a CFO and using better tools to show how sustainable choices shape both perception and performance. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

How Digitally Mature Are Our Children? | IE Insights Are children ready to navigate today's digital world safely? Konstantina Valogianni breaks down what digital maturity in children really means—and how new index developed by a selection of European un...

Are children ready to navigate today’s digital world safely? Konstantina Valogianni breaks down what digital maturity in children really means -- and how a new index developed by a selection of European universities measures it. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

From Dopamine Hits to Deliberate Decisions | IE Insights As algorithms increasingly shape consumer behavior, ethical design can enable wise consumption in the age of AI, writes Salil Jayakar.

Consumption is no longer just a response to need – it’s a constant background hum, shaped by forces we rarely pause to question. Are we truly making our own choices, or are they being made for us?

www.ie.edu/insights/art...

How AI Chips Became a Tool of Global Power | IE Insights With the future of AI hinging on a fragile chip supply chain, Europe must strategize to stay competitive and resilient, write Alexandre Ferreira Gomes and Jelle van den Wijngaard.

The future of AI depends on a supply chain that is simultaneously advanced and fragile – built on US chip design, Dutch lithography machines, and Taiwanese manufacturing capacity. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Is AI Creating Incompetent Experts? | IE Insights Generative AI is short-circuiting the learning process that builds real expertise, writes Kiron Ravindran.

Is AI creating incompetent experts?

Today’s AI-hybrid professionals are, for all intents and purposes, considered accomplished and successful. On paper, that is. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The Most Political Investors May Be ESG’s Best Bet | IE Insights As ESG investing faces political backlash, sovereign wealth funds have the opportunity to emerge as long-term stewards of sustainable capital, writes Ana Nacvalovaite.

As ESG investing faces political backlash, sovereign wealth funds have the opportunity to emerge as long-term stewards of sustainable capital, writes Ana Nacvalovaite. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Presence in the Age of Prediction | IE Insights AI's mimicry of human expression should herald a return to creation rooted in presence and intention, writes Niels Bekkema.

"Approximation is not presence. Prediction is not creation."

AI’s mimicry of human expression should herald a return to creation rooted in presence and intention, writes @nielsbekkema.bsky.social. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Why Africa Matters in the New Global Order | IE Insights In a world shaped by concentrated power and risk, Africa offers the heterogeneity and growth needed to rebalance global systems, writes David Harlley.

In a world shaped by concentrated power and risk, Africa offers the heterogeneity and growth needed to rebalance global systems, writes David Harlley. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

How to Make a Hit Podcast | IE Insights Thinking of starting a podcast — or just trying to make yours better? Katie Martin and Robert Armstrong from the <em>Financial Times</em> share how they built <em>Unhedged</em>: an unscripted, convers...

"People sometimes ask us what makes a good podcast. My first answer to that question is, I don’t know. We just do our podcast the way that is natural to us." -- @katie0martin.ft.com & @robarmstrong.bsky.social re: their finance and markets podcast Unhedged: www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

Cervantes and Cacao: A Bittersweet Legacy | IE Insights The humble cacao bean has carried complex cultural meanings across continents, from indigenous sacred rituals to symbols of European royal power, writes Goretti Gonzalez.

"To drink such chocolate was to inhabit a world where food was philosophy, and every ingredient carried the weight of meaning."

Goretti González considers how the humble cacao bean has carried complex cultural meanings across continents. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Why Telling Your Story Beats Listing Your Wins | IE Insights <p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Research shows that professionals who share their growth stories -- not just achievements -- in written introductions create warmer impressions and stronger connections, writ...

Trying to make a new professional contact? Research shows that people who share their growth stories — how they got where they are, the ups and the downs — in written introductions (e.g. LinkedIn, emails) create stronger connections. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Friction Hunting to Transform Workplace Culture | IE Insights An organizational culture that removes friction can empower collaboration and adaptability, writes Daniel Strode, author of <em>The Innovator’s Edge</em>.

How can business leaders a culture of innovation? Daniel Strode highlights the importance of removing friction in shaping organizations where people feel empowered to be bold. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Europe's Defense Illusion: Why Budget Increases Won't Save the Continent | IE Insights <span class="_fadeIn_pfttw_8">Europe’s promises of </span><span class="_fadeIn_pfttw_8">defense </span><span class="_fadeIn_pfttw_8">spending </span><span class="_fadeIn_pfttw_8">mask </span><span cla...

"No amount of budget increases or flashy procurement announcements will close the readiness gap."

Europe’s promises of defense spending mask deeper issues: fragmented forces, U.S. dependence, and a lack of readiness, writes Bjorn Beam. www.ie.edu/insights/art...