Sources
Three studies: how each was run and how to read it
External research, not BH Technology client results. Each study asked a different question with a different method; read them side by side, never as one score.
Three methods, three strengths
Random assignment compares groups allocated by chance. A staged rollout compares changes around different introduction times and needs its own checks. Read each design on its own terms; a productivity measure and a sales measure cannot be added into one financial return.
Reading 'no detectable effect'
'No statistically detectable' or 'distinguishable' means a difference could not be reliably separated from chance in that setting. It is not proof of zero, and it does not mean nobody benefited. It does mean no dependable average gain was shown.
Versions and dates matter
Working papers change between versions: earlier listings of the retail paper carry a different title and abstract, so this page cites version 6. The support study's published figure differs from an earlier working-paper version. Quote the version you read, with its date.
What this page relied on
This page draws on published abstracts and targeted passages, including the retail study's comparison tables, not full readings or independent replication. Scenes and conversations are illustrations, and the financial reasoning is general application. The linked papers remain the authority for every figure.
Generative AI and Sales Productivity: Field Experiments in Online Retail
Read the original research ↗One of seven separate experiments; sales, not profit or a human-service comparison.
Generative AI at Work
Read the original research ↗One firm, staged rather than randomized rollout; productivity, not payroll savings or cash.
The Uneven Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on Entrepreneurial Performance: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Kenya
Read the original research ↗Effects varied by business; the tailored-versus-generic explanation is the authors' interpretation.
Open the linked paper before reusing any figure, and always quote it with its comparison point, its setting and its date.