2.7.2025
As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes our societies, ESSEC Business School stands out as a key academic player in understanding and guiding these transformations. Through the ESSEC Metalab for Data, Technology & Society, the school brings together faculty, students, and corporate partners to conduct high-impact research at the intersection of social sciences, technology, and management.
At ESSEC, research on data and artificial intelligence is supported by a dynamic environment embodied by the Metalab Institute for AI, Data and Society.
"Metalab provides our researchers with a technical platform, streamlined access to data, and collaborations with companies and end-users willing to test prototypes," explains Abdelmounaim Derraz, Director of the Metalab. This ecosystem fosters academic freedom and promotes interdisciplinary synergies.
Among the school’s 194 faculty members, a “Guild” of about 70 professors is actively engaged in Metalab initiatives. This Guild meets regularly to share research progress, pool expertise, and initiate collective projects.
"It’s a way to break down disciplinary silos: faculty specializing in law, environment, energy, economics, and management collaborate to tackle AI challenges from all perspectives," highlights Guillaume Chevillon, ESSEC Professor and Academic Director of the Metalab.
This 360° approach is a distinctive strength of ESSEC, a business school uniquely positioned at the crossroads of scientific, technological, and economic challenges.
This dynamic fits into a broader strategy led by the ESSEC Research Center (CERESSEC), which defines the school’s scientific priorities. CERESSEC ensures that research at ESSEC remains ethical, rigorous, and impactful by supporting faculty in their projects, publications, and collaborations.
ESSEC’s strength lies in its ability to connect scientific excellence with a solid foundation in social, economic, and managerial sciences.
ESSEC faculty members contribute to understanding how AI affects organizations, work dynamics, and economic decision-making.
For instance, Wilfried Sand, Professor of Economics and Academic Director of the Master in Management program, studies personal data ownership in two-sided markets. His research shows that when data value is low, granting ownership to consumers helps prevent overexploitation; when the value is high, giving ownership to firms maximizes overall value creation. This analysis sheds light on the economic and legal issues surrounding data monetization.
ESSEC researchers are also contributing scientific advancements: Pierre Jacob, Professor of Applied Mathematics, secured a prestigious €2 million ERC Consolidator Grant to design algorithms that reduce the computational costs of statistical modeling. Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Charles Ayoubi, in collaboration with Harvard and Wharton, demonstrates that AI can enhance creativity, collaboration, and workplace well-being.
The Metalab also fosters student-driven innovation through annual project calls. In 2025, three student initiatives were awarded for proposing innovative solutions to housing inequality.
These projects included an automated “fair rent” estimator, a system for identifying vacant housing, and the creation of a housing inequality certification label showcasing the vibrant dialogue between students and faculty researchers.
This momentum extends to initiatives like IDEAS, a student think tank housed within the Metalab. Guided by faculty mentors, 15 students produce articles, reports, and podcasts on AI and societal issues, organize roundtables, and engage in interdisciplinary debates.
Their work is regularly promoted to corporate partners and highlighted in the media.
Finally, Professor Charles Ayoubi’s collaboration with Harvard and Wharton on the effects of generative AI in the workplace exemplifies how ESSEC research anticipates the future of work.
AI is no longer just a tool for automation; it is emerging as a “colleague” that boosts creativity and enhances human collaboration. This vision of the workplace of tomorrow has already been featured in Le Point, the French news magazine and media partner of the Metalab for this study.
At ESSEC, AI research is not merely about understanding technology—it is about anticipating its impacts, guiding its uses, and informing the critical decisions of tomorrow.
A commitment to research that serves society.
