A new professional doctorate in Hong Kong is targeting the gap between AI tool adoption and full-scale strategic transformation. The Doctor of Business Artificial Intelligence (DBAI) at PolyU Business School of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University launched to equip senior executives with the skills to build AI-native companies, as the city pushes to become a regional technology hub.
"The real gap is AI strategic leadership. Many companies today have AI pilots, but not AI transformation. They have tools, but the way these tools is deployed is not strategic. They have technical teams, but not always board-level AI judgement," said Prof Michael Xu, programme director and chairman of the Hong Kong AI Foundation.
The AI strategic leadership gap
The programme combines taught modules, residential workshops, and an applied thesis. It is Hong Kong's first professional doctorate at the intersection of AI, business intelligence, and generative AI. The curriculum targets senior professionals who need to move beyond using AI for drafting reports or creating slides and instead weave the technology into strategy, operations, and organisational culture from the start.
Prof Xu's own background-from civil engineering and psychology to an MBA at Wharton, global investment work, and chief technology officer roles-shaped the course design. He said AI transformation spans strategy, governance, and human factors, not just technical execution. The programme pushes participants toward AI-native models where AI functions as part of the enterprise's core operating system, not an add-on to existing workflows.
From AI-first to AI-native
"AI-native leadership means treating AI not as an add-on, but as part of the enterprise's core operating system," Prof Xu explained. Such leaders identify where AI creates strategic value, build data infrastructure, redesign workflows around human-AI collaboration, and establish governance mechanisms.
John Li, a cybersecurity executive with more than 20 years in ICT leadership roles at HP, PCCW, and IBM, enrolled in the DBAI to stay ahead of rapid change. "If you don't want to be replaced by AI, the only way is to understand it deeply," he said. Li, who founded eWalker Solutions, saw the programme as a necessary step to remain relevant in his field.
For executives charting a similar path, resources on AI for Executives & Strategy offer frameworks for aligning AI initiatives with business objectives and governance structures.
Applied research and industry projects
The DBAI requires students to carry out applied research and industry-based projects. The substantial thesis component forces senior executives to define real business problems, test assumptions, and evaluate measurable outcomes. One student developed virtual avatars for teaching and customer service. Others in cybersecurity use AI to run red-team and blue-team simulations that uncover system vulnerabilities.
Li described such work as useful for modelling both attacks and defences, enabling faster testing of security setups. He cautioned against over-reliance on technology. "You cannot just fire people and rely only on AI. Human judgment remains indispensable," he said.
Hong Kong's AI ambitions and talent needs
The programme arrives as the Hong Kong government allocates new resources to AI. The 2026-27 budget includes HK$50 million for public training courses, seminars, and competitions, plus HK$2 billion for digital and AI education in schools. Prof Xu sees the DBAI as a necessary counterpart, focusing on the top of the talent pyramid-the senior decision-makers who decide how AI investments are communicated, governed, and converted into business value.
"Hong Kong cannot become an AI hub only by buying hardware or training more users," he said. "It also needs leaders who can translate AI capability into sector-level transformation."
Students come from mainland China, Singapore, and increasingly from Belt and Road countries across ASEAN and the Middle East. Li recalled classmates from oil trading and fintech who described AI uses unfamiliar in Hong Kong, sparking discussions about possible collaborations.
Implications for organisational structure
The programme addresses the rise of agentic AI-autonomous systems that manage complex sequences of tasks. Prof Xu said leaders must learn to think architecturally, designing workflows, controlling data access, and maintaining accountability. He noted that risks include cybersecurity threats, data leakage, biased decisions, and unclear responsibility.
For organisations, agentic AI could lead to flatter structures and fuel the growth of the "one person company" or "one person department." Prof Xu said this model gives businesses a new level of agility. "It means one highly capable individual, supported by multiple AI agents, can now perform work that previously required a much larger team." Traditional enterprises should respond by redesigning teams around AI agents and empowering high-judgment staff.
Why this matters for Executives and Strategy
The DBAI addresses a concrete problem: executives often reduce AI to a productivity tool rather than a strategic foundation. The programme's focus on applied research and AI-native design forces leaders to move from awareness to execution. For senior decision-makers, the takeaway is clear-organisations that treat AI as core infrastructure and invest in board-level AI judgment will be better positioned to build high-value, globally relevant capabilities in finance, professional services, and beyond.
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