Why AI Efficiency Gains May Replicate Six Sigma's Innovation Problem, Experts Warn

Corporate America has deployed artificial intelligence with a familiar sales pitch: replace expensive human work with cheap, efficient machines. But the technology may be repeating a costly historical pattern. Gautam Mukunda, a leadership expert at Yale School of Management, argues that AI is being marketed to businesses much like Six Sigma was decades ago—with a seductive promise of operational perfection that, in practice, suppressed innovation. He cites economist William Abernathy's concept of "the productivity dilemma": increased efficiency often comes with decreased creativity and breakthrough thinking.