NBAE 6145 - AI Strategy and Applications

Spring. 2 credits. Letter grades only (no audit).

G. Thompson.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a science and set of computational techniques (statistical modeling, data warehousing, data mining and machine learning) that are inspired by the way that humans use their nervous systems and bodies to sense, learn, reason and take action. In recent years, AI has emerged as one of the most important disruptions facing business and society over the next several decades. While AI is not new and has been around for more than 60 years, the confluence of certain trends over the last decades and accelerating technological change has introduced a new urgency into the study of the impact of AI on business, government and society.

The core technologies underlying AI has progressed to a point that some landmark achievements have captured the imagination of the world about new possibilities enabled by AI.

The overall business and societal implications of AI technologies remains an important domain to be explored and understood. While the core technologies of AI need to be studied, strategies regarding the effective application of AI to business need to be articulated and complemented with the requisite awareness of their associated human implications. There will be significant new opportunities as the underlying forces of AI disruption and value creation are understood and leveraged. Succeeding in this rapidly changing world will require both a solid understanding of AI enabled products, services and business models and an inspirational leadership style to be bold, take risks and lead complex change.

The elective course should be of interest to all EMBA students. The goal of this elective course is to provide an effective combination of theory and practice of AI. Lectures and case studies will provide a rich forum for in-class discussions. EMBA students will be encouraged to assemble key insights along three important dimensions: core AI technologies (30% of course approximately), innovative business applications of AI (40%) and human and societal implications (30%). EMBA students will leave the elective better prepared to help their organizations to compete and win in an AI-enabled world.