A randomized trial separates ChatGPT polish from causal reasoning
OpenAI and Bocconi researchers published a preregistered 2-by-2 classroom trial involving 1,053 first-year students. GPT-4o access raised scores on a conventional marketing rubric and increased coherent, idea-rich answers, while brief causal-reasoning training increased mechanisms, falsifiability, and the diversity of ideas; combining them retained benefits from both treatments.
Why it matters: The result gives educators and managers experimental evidence that polished, expert-like output and diverse causal thinking are different outcomes. A rubric can reward the former while overlooking the latter, making assessment design part of AI governance.