Two prominent deans from European business schools say artificial intelligence is pushing management education to re-center on human judgment, ethical reasoning, and adaptability. Stefano Caselli of SDA Bocconi and Michael Nowlis of Imperial Business School will discuss these shifts in Budapest later this month at the QS Higher Education Summit: Europe 2026, running 24-25 June.
Their separate answers to a shared set of questions reveal a strong convergence: as machines take over analytical work, the leadership dimensions that are hardest to automate become the core of the MBA. Both leaders stress that schools must now teach students to ask better questions, not just produce faster answers.
AI is reshaping the purpose of the degree
Caselli said the mission of business education is no longer only to transfer knowledge or analytical tools. "We must help future leaders ask better questions, not only produce faster answers," he said. The context of decision-making has changed because information is abundant, decisions must come faster, and uncertainty is structurally higher. AI can improve productivity, prediction, and personalisation, but it also raises questions about accountability, governance, and inclusion.
Nowlis described a shift in how leading schools design their MBA. "The traditional degree was built around teaching students to analyse information and decide under uncertainty, and AI changes that profoundly," he said, because machines now do much of that analytical work. At Imperial, AI is not a standalone elective but foundational infrastructure woven into finance, strategy, operations, and leadership. The school is putting more weight on systems thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and experiential learning that asks students to navigate complexity rather than memorise frameworks.
What future leaders need to know and be
Caselli identified four capabilities: critical thinking to challenge data and recognise bias; responsible innovation that protects trust and fairness; organisational transformation skills to redesign processes and cultures; and a commitment to lifelong learning. He said one mindset matters most: "openness combined with responsibility." Leaders must be curious about technology and ambitious in using it while staying deeply aware of its consequences for people and society.
Nowlis argued that technical proficiency alone will not define success. "Those who thrive are not necessarily the best coders or data scientists; they are leaders who integrate technology, psychology, ethics, organisational behaviour, strategy and human meaning into coherent leadership." He pointed to emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning, and self-awareness as central, because leaders increasingly oversee hybrid systems of AI analysts, autonomous workflows, and human teams at the same time.
European schools see responsibility as a competitive edge
Caselli said European institutions have a distinctive opportunity. They operate where competitiveness and responsibility reinforce each other, and that can become "a real global advantage in the age of AI." He called for integrating AI across all programmes and investing in research, faculty, and digital learning environments. Europe, he added, can contribute a model of AI adoption grounded in governance, ethics, sustainability, and social impact.
Nowlis said schools must become more ambitious. The historical focus on finance, operations, and strategy is no longer enough. He noted a persistent gap: technologists understand AI but not how organisations run, while business leaders understand management but know less about AI. Schools are uniquely placed to bridge that divide. Imperial is exploring convergence-science approaches that link engineering, medicine, public policy, and entrepreneurship, alongside AI governance simulations and human-AI workplace design.
Why this matters for education professionals
The conversation signals a structural shift in what business schools teach and how they teach it. AI is forcing curriculum redesign toward human-centred leadership, interdisciplinary work, and lifelong learning models. For educators shaping executive programmes, staying current with AI for Education trends is critical as institutions retool for this new reality. The challenge ahead is not just technical literacy but equipping leaders to make ethical decisions, manage hybrid teams, and preserve trust in workplaces where AI handles the analytical heavy lifting.
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