In his opening keynote at the 4th Global Business Anthropology Summit, Matt Artz argues that business anthropology must embrace a critical “digital turn” to maintain relevance in an AI-dominated business landscape. Drawing on analysis of podcasts, academic journals, social media trends, and job market data, Artz demonstrates how the field is already shifting from design anthropology toward digital anthropology — and makes the case that anthropologists should stop fighting for a seat at the table and start building their own.
Abstract
The presentation identifies two internal trends in business anthropology: an evolution from traditional research toward faster cycles, and a growing emphasis on digital methods to compete with data science and AI disciplines. Externally, massive corporate AI investment, widespread adoption of generative AI, and a job market increasingly favoring technical skills create both unprecedented challenges and opportunities for anthropologists.
While acknowledging serious concerns about AI’s societal impact — from climate effects to job displacement — Artz advocates moving beyond critique to active participation. His recommendations: develop anthropology-specific AI applications, create fine-tuned language models trained on anthropological data, embrace entrepreneurship, and productize anthropological knowledge. The talk closes with examples of anthropologist-founded startups and the call to “buy the table and staff it.”
About GBAS 2023: Making Conscious Futures
The 2023 Global Business Anthropology Summit was hosted by Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, June 1–3. The conference brought together practitioners to explore the intersection of business and anthropology around three core themes: awareness, connections, and uncertainty.
The Themes
Awareness — The ability to view multiple facets of a situation and extrapolate understanding from macro and micro factors, building more resourceful futures through social and environmental innovation.
Connections — Identifying and re-evaluating stakeholders involved in changing the present for a more conscious future, and developing best practices for engaging with consumers, partners, and collaborators.
Uncertainty — How business anthropology handles uncertainty to inspire possibilities, encourage creative responses, and foster innovation in new business contexts.
The Venue: Universidad Iberoamericana
GBAS 2023 was held at Universidad Iberoamericana (IBERO), a leading private academic and research institution in Mexico City’s corporate district, established 70 years ago as the country’s first private and oldest Jesuit university.