Researchers Asked LLMs for Strategic Advice. They Got “Trendslop” in Return.

by Angelo Romasanta, Llewellyn D.W. Thomas and Natalia Levina

March 16, 2026

Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images

Summary.

Leaders and consultants are increasingly turning to large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT as silent partners in the boardroom. These tools promise to summarize complex information, produce clear arguments, and offer polished strategic recommendations in seconds. But as LLMs are integrated into executive workflows, a critical question emerges: How good is their advice? Is it trustworthy?

Angelo Romasanta is an Assistant Professor at Esade Business School, Universitat Ramon Llull in Barcelona, Spain. His research sits at the intersection of innovation management and information systems, exploring how AI is reshaping scientific communities, how data fuels research breakthroughs, and how deep tech ventures navigate the journey from laboratory to market.

Llewellyn D.W. Thomas is Associate Professor at the University of Sydney Business School and Visiting Professor at Imperial Business School, London. His research focuses on the co-evolutionary processes that lead to successful innovation, with a particular interest in ecosystem emergence and dynamics in digital economy contexts. His recent work focuses on entrepreneurial framing, innovation ecosystems, gen AI evaluation, and entrepreneurial scalability.

Natalia Levina is a Paganelli-Bull Professor of Technology and International Business at New York University Stern School of Business and a Fellow at the Association for Information Systems. She has also been appointed Distinguished Research Environment Professor at the Warwick Business School. Her research focuses on how people span organizational, professional, cultural, and other boundaries while producing and using technological innovations. Her recent work focuses on the evaluation, adoption, and governance of AI in organizations, open innovation projects, theories of smart contracts.

Read more on AI and machine learning or related topics Generative AI, Technology and analytics, Strategy, Strategic analysis, Strategy formulation and Strategic planning

Researchers Asked LLMs for Strategic Advice. They Got “Trendslop” in Return.

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