Business Schools Adapt to AI in Executive Education
Business schools are quickly integrating artificial intelligence into their executive education programs, focusing on preparing leaders to work effectively with AI in business strategy. Nearly 80% of these schools now include AI in their curricula, not to train coders, but to create “strategically fluent leaders” who understand AI’s potential and limitations.
For example, Essec Business School near Paris emphasizes demystifying AI’s “black box” so executives can make informed decisions rather than delegating strategy blindly to machines. Trinity Business School in Dublin combines digital fluency with a human-centered approach, helping leaders drive cultural change to embed AI across organizations.
Practical AI Learning in Executive Programs
Damien Walsh from ON Semiconductor found Trinity’s AI and analytics program valuable for understanding how AI impacts product development decisions, including project investment and design verification. The course highlighted the importance of data set requirements in training AI algorithms for effective application in innovation.
At Insead in Fontainebleau, AI is integrated into course design and delivery. The school’s AI for Business program teaches leaders to “think with many minds,” using AI as a partner rather than a replacement in decision-making. Courses cover ethical frameworks and EU AI regulations, and use simulation tools like VSTRAT and Qinect for strategic decision-making and AI-supported negotiation practice.
Embedding AI Expertise Across Schools
Imperial Business School in London requires all executive education staff to complete its AI for Business Innovation program, aiming to embed AI knowledge throughout the institution. Their Responsible Leadership in a Complex World course addresses ethical leadership amid AI-driven challenges.
ESCP Business School, with campuses across Europe, partners with OpenAI to integrate generative AI tools like ChatGPT into learning. Students receive AI-driven feedback and use AI for productivity and reflection in programs such as the Executive Master in Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership.
Meanwhile, ESCP’s new executive course explores how AI and art can break rigid thinking patterns. This program encourages participants to create original artworks, blending artistic disruption with corporate strategy, while warning that AI’s reliance on patterns may reduce creativity.
Innovative AI Initiatives at Other Schools
- Iese Business School in Barcelona uses an AI-powered negotiation platform with dynamic avatars to sharpen emotional intelligence.
- Audencia in France offers an AI + Sales program where executives build AI agents, part of a broader series that applies AI to specific professions like communications and sales.
Case Study: Turning AI Theory into Practice
Fynn Wolken, digital innovation manager at German insurer Wertgarantie, applied ESCP’s Executive Master in Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership to develop a generative AI chatbot for customer service. The program helped him separate AI myths from facts by providing a scientific approach to how large language models operate.
Using ESCP’s OpenAI partnership, Wolken’s team experimented with coding, marketing, and app development. They plan a visit to OpenAI in Silicon Valley to further embed AI learning into their work.
This practical focus on AI in executive education equips leaders to make smarter decisions, foster innovation, and lead ethically in an AI-driven business environment.
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