Promoting DEI via Operational Interventions

Joint work with Kamalini Ramdas and Monika Heller.
Major revision at Operations Research; manuscript available upon request.
Finalists for the 2025 POMS College of Behavior in OM Junior Scholar Paper Competition.
We ran online experiments to examine how prior ratings and instructor gender impact instructor evaluations, under identical teaching quality. Our experimental evidence reveals sizeable negative effects of publishing low prior ratings, concentrated among inexperienced learners and on instructor-focused outcomes. Also, both female and male learners exhibit bias against instructors of the opposite gender, mainly when they face a higher cognitive load due to time pressure. Furthermore, female instructors are more vulnerable to the "ratings trap" when starting with a low teaching rating.

Joint work with Kamalini Ramdas and Monika Heller.
We experiementally examine how different ratings display formats can reduce prior ratings bias while still providing clients with sufficient and useful information.
The typical ratings distributions are summmarized from an anonymized dataset of over 78,000 observations from a leading e-learning platform.
Analysis in progress. Financially supported by the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development.

Applying Generative AI with Efficiency and Sustainability

Joint work with S. Alex Yang and Chaoran Liu.
Working paper available on SSRN.
We empirically examine the impact of Generative AI on digital marketing content. While Gen AI enables small businesses to create marketing materials more efficiently, content produced by large language models may lead to greater homogenization, diminishing customer engagement and eroding brand distinctiveness over time. To assess this impact, we exploit the temporary ChatGPT ban in Italy during April 2023 as a natural experiment, focusing on its effects on social media marketing by small business owners.
Complementary experiments in progress. Financially supported by the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Private Capital.

Joint work with S. Alex Yang and Yiangos Papanastasiou.
Generative AI enables search engines to deliver concise, summarized answers to users, enhancing convenience and efficiency. However, this practice may reduce website traffic for content creators, potentially undermining their incentives to produce high-quality content. We analytically examine the impact of generative search engines on online information ecosystems, and propose design strategies that balance user convenience with content creator sustainability.
Analysis in progress.

Joint work with John Birge and Ali Hortaçsu.
AI systems have become increasingly energy-intensive, with large models generating substantial carbon emissions during both training and inference. Despite growing awareness of AI’s environmental impact, little is known about whether users consider sustainability when selecting AI tools. We examines users’ willingness to pay (WTP) for green AI tools and investigate how sustainability labels influence users' preferences.
Experiments under design. Part of the NSF CoDec Project.

Joint work with Kamalini Ramdas and Monika Heller.
Generative AI can democratize knowledge by simplifying complex ideas and providing personalized support, but it also risks promoting overreliance, homogenized thinking, and misinformation. We investigates how adjusting generative AI sampling parameters influences learners' engagement, comprehension, and innovation.
Experiments under design. Financially supported by the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development.

Joint work with Xiaofang Wang and Guoming Lai.
For the products that provide not only intrinsic value from their functions but also stylish consumption experience, there often exist both Veblen and network effects. Some customers are more likely to purchase the product if fewer customers can afford it, while others might appreciate the existence of more peers. We study the market equilibrium under rational expectations to investigate the appropriate strategies for these products. The optimal pricing and quantity decisions reveal interesting insights about the effects of such mixed consumption externalities.
Published in Operations Research Letters, 2017, Vol. 45, Issue 61 .