Harvard Business Review: Why AI Boosts Creativity for Some Employees but Not Others

Shuhua Sun photo taken in Goldring/Woldenberg Business Complex

Shuhua Sun, Peter W. and Paul A. Callais Professor of Entrepreneurship and associate professor of management, contributed an article to Harvard Business Review with co-authors Jackson G. Lu, Angelina Zhuyi Li and Maw-Der Foo highlighting their research on the relationship between generative AI and employee creativity.

“Our research shows that generative AI can meaningfully enhance creativity—but only for employees with strong metacognition. By pairing AI deployment with deliberate support for metacognitive thinking, organizations can unlock deeper insights, accelerate innovation, and ensure that employees drive the tool rather than letting the tool drive them.”

To read the article in its entirety, visit hbr.org:

https://hbr.org/2026/01/why-ai-boosts-creativity-for-some-employees-but-not-others

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