The 2025 Olin Award, recognizing research with immediate, practical impact, was awarded to WashU Olin Business School professors Xiang Hui and Oren Reshef for their in-depth analysis of generative Artificial Intelligence’s influence on freelance creative professionals. Their study, co-authored by Luofeng Zhou of New York University and published in Organization Science in September 2024, examined how technologies such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Midjourney impacted the online labor market for freelance writers and designers.
According to the research findings, the emergence of these generative Artificial Intelligence tools corresponded with significant declines in both the number of assignments and the pay rates for freelance creative workers on a major online job platform. While the study focused on a subset of creative professions, the authors emphasize that such technologies have the potential to disrupt a broad spectrum of industries beyond writing and design.
Professor Xiang Hui noted that rather than resisting the changes ushered in by generative Artificial Intelligence, firms should proactively upskill their workforce. He recommended training employees in tasks such as prompt engineering and other Artificial Intelligence-related skills to enable more effective collaboration with these evolving technologies. Established in 2007 by Richard Mahoney, former Monsanto CEO, the Olin Award celebrates research that offers actionable insights to the business community. The Olin Business School continues to be at the forefront of research that addresses transformative trends in business and technology.
