“Challenging the Paradigms: What AI Really Changes — and What It Doesn’t”By Prof. Claudia Loebbecke, University of Cologne, Germany |
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Abstract
The deployment of so-called AI has become the new normal, challenging established paradigms in economics, education, management, and even everyday human behavior. Its disruptive effects will inevitably affect even those who underestimate its accelerating momentum. Only for ever shorter periods, the latest — and supposedly most advanced — AI solutions offer a competitive edge before competitors place their bets on the same ‘AI horse’. What does this mean for underlying business models and institutional processes? This keynote seeks to provoke reflection — not necessarily by presenting entirely new ideas, but by revisiting enduring and still-relevant questions in the age of AI. Rather than showcasing cutting-edge applications, it explores how the ongoing diffusion of AI influences sustainable value creation across business, society, and academia, and emphasizes the importance of early, sector-specific awareness of technological innovation.
Bio
Claudia Loebbecke has held the Chair of Media and Technology Management at the University of Cologne, Germany, since 2000. She served as President of the Association for Information Systems (AIS) from 2005 to 2006 and was named an AIS Fellow in 2012 and a Distinguished Member cum laude in 2019. She is a long-standing member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, the European Academy of Sciences, Beta Gamma Sigma, the Fulbright Alumni Network, and EU High-Level Groups on Policy Innovation, in particular on Accelerating Technology Transition. After nearly 20 years as Senior Editor of the Information Systems Journal and the Journal of Strategic Information Systems, she now serves as an Honorary Board Member of three leading journals, contributes to several editorial boards, and reviews extensively for academic conferences. She held appointments at INSEAD, McKinsey & Company, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Copenhagen Business School, as well as visiting positions at MIT, the London School of Economics, Paris Dauphine University, Bentley University, and the University of New South Wales. Her advisory and board roles include Johannes Kepler University Business School in Linz, Austria (since 2025), the regional public broadcaster WDR (2016–2024), Fraunhofer IAIS for KI/AI.NRW (2019–2022), and the Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (2012–2020). She holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree from the University of Cologne, as well as an MBA from Indiana University. Her research focuses on digital business models, media and technology management, regulatory issues, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. She has published nearly 300 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers. A full CV and list of publications are available online.