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Case Study

Building a worldwide brain: Artificial Intelligence Inc.

By Johan Roos and David Oliver

11 pages

August 2001

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Reference: IMD-3-0866

This case documents one company’s effort to build the world’s first “thinking machine” based on a new artificial intelligence paradigm. Artificial Intelligence Inc. worked to develop a revolutionary core artificial intelligence system while at the same time attempting to generate revenue by spinning off applications in the area of smart web search, financial market prediction, and knowledge management. The company had to make decisions in a rapidly changing business environment concerning a) whether to try to sell its products directly to end users or work with established partners, b) how to balance the roles of founders vs. professional managers in a start-up, and c) how to operate a “distributed” organization with employees based in several countries. On a higher level, the case poses questions about the role of strategic business planning in a fast-moving, complex business environment.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence, Internet, Distributed Organization

Settings

United States of America
2000

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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