Christine Haskell, Ph.D.'s Blog

The Dorm Room Is Still Open

Your policy window is narrowing.

FaceMash wasn’t a prank; it was a prototype—rating women like trading cards. I even watched an MSDN colleague rank dates in an Excel “m...

Belonging Isn't Enough

1. The Confusion Between Belonging and Mattering

Belonging is easy to manufacture—rituals, slogans, smiles that signal harmony. It reassures, but doesn’t guarantee subst...

If the Campfire Goes Dark

The Leadership Lesson of Avoidance We Can’t Outsource1. The Crisis of Avoidance

We don’t just avoid conflict. We engineer around it.

For ten years, I’ve researched how le...

If They Shine, You Shine

1. The Crisis of Zero-Sum Leadership

Kamala Harris, reflecting on her early days as Vice President, wrote:

“Their thinking was zero-sum: If she’s shining, he’s dimmed… No...

AI, Adaptability, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves

How Your Biography Shapes Technology’s Impact

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how we work, make decisions, and define success. But when AI or any new technology suggests something unexpected, how do you react? The answer is shaped more by your experiences than the technology itself and more to do with your Data Biography — the sum of your experiences, reactions, and assumptions about data that shape how you engage with new innovations. By understanding your data biography, you c...

AI, Marriage, and the Systems We Build: Why We Shouldn’t Be Surprised By High Failure Rates

The Vegas Chapel Epiphany

While delivering a workshop in Las Vegas recently, I walked past several wedding chapels, each offering quick, convenient ceremonies. Every few feet, another sign advertised a fast, hassle-free wedding. There were even $40 wedding bouquet vending machines.

Yet, 56% of marriages end in divorce. Let’s break that down further. Assume at least 10% stay together primarily for the kids. Another 10%—if we’re being conservative—aren’t exactly living in wedded bliss. That means ro...

What If AI’s Mistakes Aren’t Bugs, But Features?

IMG SRC: Adobe Firefly

We often say AI’s mistakes are "by design," but they’re really not. AI wasn’t built to fail...

Breaking the AI Loop: From Static Thinking to Living Intelligence in Governance and Business

Take One: AI as the Fix for U.S.-Africa Relations

A student recently asked: “How can AI transform the relationships between the U.S. and African countries?” The premise is compelling—AI has the potential to drive transparency, trade, and governance reform, resetting relationships on healthier grounds.

But we’ve seen this movie before.

Foreign aid, trade agreements, governance reforms—each iteration promises a breakthrough. Yet, like many enterprises struggling to implement AI-first strategies, gove...

The Serviceberry Mindset: How Nature’s Gift Economy Can Reshape Data Governance

A Serviceberry-Inspired Perspective on Data Management

This piece is inspired by a blog post from my friend and colleague Kathy Allen, The Nature of Relationships, which explores the idea of adopting a gift economy mindset based on reciprocity, sharing, and relationships. Kathy’s reflections on the serviceberry tree—an emblem of mutual flourishing in nature—offer a powerful metaphor for how we should think about data management. Instead of treating data as a scarce resource to be hoarded, what if...

Generative AI vs. Predictive AI: Why the Investment Gap Doesn’t Reflect Real Value

The AI Investment Paradox

Generative AI is dominating headlines, while predictive AI quietly powers businesses behind the scenes. Despite delivering far greater returns in efficiency and cost savings, predictive AI receives nearly the same level of investment as its flashier counterpart. Why?

The answer lies in perception: generative AI dazzles with its creative outputs, while predictive AI quietly drives results. Yet for businesses seeking measurable ROI, predictive AI remains the unsung hero.

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