Canada needs decisive, coordinated action to be part of next wave of AI innovation
As AI reaches a pivotal moment, Canada’s early leadership is being challenged by rapid global shifts. “Other nations are investing at unprecedented scale, while Canada risks falling behind if it does not act decisively,” says Maxime Cohen, Professor of Retail and Operations Management.
Nine McGill Desautels researchers named to Stanford-Elsevier top researchers list
Each year, the world’s most influential researchers are recognized in the Stanford-Elsevier Top 2% Scientists lists. The list ranks researchers from around the world, based on the impacts of their citations, their h-index, and other bibliometric indicators. In 2025, nine McGill Desautels researchers earned the honour: Yolande E.
When AI is used to set wages, it sets them higher than humans would
When AI sets wages, it pushes them higher, according to recent research by Maxime Cohen, a Professor of Retail and Operations Management at the Bensadoun School of Retail Management. Cohen conducted a study that asked AI to recommend wages for 60,000 freelance profiles in a variety of industries. He found that AI sets wages higher than humans do.
How AI and big data are reshaping the future of retail
The emergence of e-commerce has made for a revolution in retail. Whenever you make a purchase online, you generate data, and that data allows for a higher degree of personalization.
Maxime Cohen named to world’s most cited researcher list for third straight year
Each year, Stanford University and the academic publishing company Elsevier celebrate the world’s most influential researchers with its top 2% list, which identifies the researchers who are most widely cited in their field. For the third year in a row, Maxime Cohen was among them.
IT teams can bring insights into how best to deploy AI
Business leaders understand that AI has the power to generate tremendous value, but it is IT teams that have a deeper understanding of the underlying processes and what’s going on behind the scenes. “They better understand the potential dangers and pitfalls,” says Maxime Cohen, Professor of Retail and Operational Management and Director of Research at the Bensadoun School of Retail Management.

McGill Desautels professors and lecturers recognized at Faculty Awards
The McGill Desautels Faculty of Management acknowledges the vital contributions of research, teaching, service, and public engagement in inspiring future leaders. Through our annual Faculty Awards, we celebrate the exceptional achievements of our faculty members across various programs and disciplines. This year, we are proud to honour the following distinguished individuals:
AI Scribe pilot aims to ease documentation for physicians
CIUSSS West-Central Montreal is testing AI Scribe, an AI-powered tool designed to help physicians efficiently document patient consultations. Under the guidance of Professor Maxime Cohen, a leading AI expert and Scale AI Chair Professor at McGill, the initiative aims to reduce administrative burdens and enhance patient care.
Online news act has negative effect on small publishers
The online news act was designed with legitimate objectives: enhancing fairness, supporting press independence, and promoting a diversity of news sources. Unfortunately, it has had some unintended negative consequences, according to Maxime Cohen, the Scale AI Chair in Data Science for Retail at McGill Desautels.
Healthy snacks make good business sense
A 2022 study by researchers at McGill Desautels revealed that when shoppers were offered a promotion that gave them a choice between a healthy snack and a pastry with their coffee, sales of healthy snacks increased by more than 1000%.

McGill Desautels faculty members and researchers celebrated at Bravo Gala
McGill University hosted its annual Bravo Gala on Thursday, March 21, which honours its faculty members and researchers who have won special awards, memberships and prizes over the past year. McGill Desautels is proud to announce 14 of its faculty amongst the distinguished honourees this year. Congratulations to our deserving laureates! Full list below. #Bravo2024
Businesses would benefit from deeper understanding of artificial intelligence
Generative AI has recently garnered significant attention, yet many individuals possess only a superficial understanding of the technology, as outlined by Professor Maxime Cohen in an open letter published in Le Devoir.
Small businesses can also benefit from AI
Big businesses are deploying artificial intelligence to streamline their supply chains, cut labour costs, and better understand their customers. For small- and medium-sized enterprises, keeping pace can be a daunting task.
Maxime Cohen and Saibal Ray named Top Retail Experts for 2024
Two faculty members of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management (BSRM) have been named to Rethink Retail’s Top Retail Experts (TRE) list for 2024, one of the most prestigious global accolades in the Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry.
Automated checkout technology allows workers to focus on higher-value tasks
Amazon Go, convenience stores that eliminate the check-out process, are coming to Canada. Customers can use a debit card, credit card or payment-enabled phone to enter, select and buy items, and simply walk out of the store. Amazon introduced the cashierless stores in the U.S. in 2018 and is now opening locations in Calgary and Toronto.
