Data and AI
Can AI Help Identify Persuasive Salespeople?
For a new study, Yale SOM’s K. Sudhir and his co-authors used machine learning to break down effective persuasion into elements like body language, vocal inflection, and spoken words. The work could help companies consider a wider range of candidates when they are hiring for a sales role.

Now It’s Personal: How Knowing an Ad Is Targeted Changes Its Impact
A consumer’s knowledge that an advertisement has been tailored to their interests changes how they respond, according to a new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Jiwoong Shin. Firms evaluating marketing strategies should factor consumers’ inferences about targeted ads into their advertising decisions, Shin says.
The American Jewish Community Will Look Different in 50 Years
A new study by Yale SOM’s Edieal Pinker finds that in the coming decades, the more liberal Reform and Conservative denominations will shrink and the number of Jews identifying as Orthodox will grow.
Create Trust Online by Pairing User Control and Data Security
In a new study, Yale SOM’s K. Sudhir and his co-author examine the impact of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). They find that strict privacy rights paired with strong data security mandates create an atmosphere of trust that makes data sharing more beneficial for both firms and their customers.
Mapping Our Social Worlds
Prof. Marissa King’s interdisciplinary approach to network science has produced new insights into how people interact and ideas spread. Her new book, Social Chemistry, explains how an understanding of social networks can help solve issues faced every day by individuals, organizations, and societies.
What Separates the Ideas that Endure from Those That Fade?
For a study of the evolution of management concepts, Prof. Balázs Kovács and his co-author tracked keywords in 90 years of Harvard Business Review articles. Their conclusion: concepts get an initial boost from being similar to popular ideas, but need to distinguish themselves to last.
Can We Protect Our Election from the Bots?
More than 50,000 Russia-linked bots were active on Twitter during the 2016 election. Are they back? We talked with Prof. Tauhid Zaman, who has carried out a series of studies identifying bot networks and assessing their impact.
Machine Learning Model Extracts Insights from Customer Reviews
A new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s K. Sudhir uses natural-language analysis to learn from what customers are saying—and to infer meaning from what remains unsaid.
Online and Off, We Are Drawn Toward Those with Similar Writing Styles
Both online and in-person friendships are more likely to develop between people who have similar linguistic styles, according to a new study co-authored by Balázs Kovács at Yale SOM.
Can Big Data Fight a Pandemic?
The COVID-19 crisis has intensified the debate over big data and privacy. Governments are pulling together data from public and private systems in order to predict and counter the spread of COVID-19. But setting aside privacy protections in a time of crisis could lead to new, permanent norms.
Are Electronic Health Records Useful Yet?
The story of EHRs serves as a prelude to what we’re experiencing today in almost every facet of our lives: a utopian promise of ubiquitous data tempered by technical challenges and concerns over privacy.