UC Irvine and Konnect Launch Executive Program for HR Leaders Managing AI Strategy
UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business and Konnect, an HR technology firm, are launching a certification program designed to help CHROs and senior HR executives build AI strategy rather than simply adopt it. The program runs from July 17 through September 3, 2026.
"The Future of HR: AI Strategy & Leadership" addresses a specific gap: most HR leaders face pressure to implement AI across hiring, performance management, and organizational design without frameworks for making those decisions strategically.
The program combines academic research with practitioner experience. Faculty from the Merage School's Leadership Development Institute work alongside Konnect HR professionals to teach participants how to evaluate AI tools, measure business impact, and maintain human-centered practices while scaling automation.
What Participants Will Learn
- How to build AI-powered HR strategies that produce measurable business results
- Frameworks for workforce transformation and data-driven decision-making
- Practitioner-led simulations focused on real implementation challenges
- Tactics they can apply immediately within their organizations
The format is blended: weekly virtual sessions on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. PST, with an in-person closing session on the Irvine campus September 3. Tuition is $4,800.
Noah Askin, associate professor of organization and management and faculty director of the Leadership Development Institute, said the program teaches "organizational fluency to lead transformation from the inside out" rather than treating AI as an external tool to implement.
For HR executives looking to develop strategic AI capabilities, consider exploring AI Learning Path for CHROs or reviewing resources on AI for Executives & Strategy.
Registration is available at uci.thinkific.com/courses/AIHRKonnect.
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