Assistant Professor Mustafa Akben and Aaron Satko ’25 were a winner of the 2024 SIOP Machine Learning Competition by demonstrating innovative AI solutions that address complex workplace challenges and highlighting AI's transformative potential in organizational research.
In a showcase of innovation and teamwork, Mustafa Akben, an assistant professor of management at the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, and Elon junior Aaron Satko took top honors this spring at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s Machine Learning Competition.
The annual competition challenges participants to integrate AI with human-focused research to address complex workplace issues. It marked the second consecutive year that Akben triumphed in the contest.
“This year’s competition pushed us to the limits of what’s possible with AI in organizational settings. Working with Aaron, who brings a fresh perspective and a great amount of enthusiasm to our team, has been a highlight of this journey,” said Akben. “Together, we worked on challenges that many professionals in the field find daunting.”
The team excelled across four challenging areas: assessing empathy in managerial feedback, mimicking interviewer responses, evaluating company policies for fairness, and determining the clarity of survey items. They presented their winning solution at the SIOP conference in Chicago.
Their innovative approach to measuring empathy in feedback, which used an ELO rating system to rank the emotional content, was particularly innovative. “Our solution to assess empathy through AI highlighted the nuanced understanding AI can bring to human interactions, setting new interesting insights in the field,” Akben said.
Akben and Satko competed against 18 teams this year at the competition. SIOP, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, is a professional association that promotes the science, practice, and teaching of industrial and organizational psychology to enhance human well-being and performance in organizational and work settings.
Satko, a computer science major from Lewisville, N.C. and co-chair of the Generative AI Club, described the impact of the competition on his educational and career trajectory. “Joining the competition was a no-brainer for me,” he said. “It was a chance to apply what we’ve cultivated in the AI Club to real-world problems. While my future might not be in programming, the analytical skills and strategic thinking I’ve honed here are invaluable for any path I choose, including my growing interest in the medical field.”
Their presentation was met with enthusiasm and sparked discussions among attendees about the practical applications of their AI solutions. “The interest and feedback from the audience was affirming,” Satko added. “It showed us the real-world impact our research could have.”.
Akben said he is already looking to the future by expanding his team and continuing to break new ground in AI and management research.
“We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible,” he said. “I’m excited to welcome new members to our team who are as passionate about transforming the workplace with AI as we are.”
