B-schools use AI and GenAI as key elements to develop future business leaders

As AI and Generative-AI (GenAI) engulf every aspect of the economy, business schools have woken up to the challenges and opportunities in grooming future business leaders by suitably making changes to their curricula and their entrepreneurial support systems.

Prof Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIM Ahmedabad, said the institute was constantly reviewing and introducing new electives and courses, keeping the dynamic nature of the industry in mind.

“There is no doubt that technology is going to play an integral role in every aspect of our lives in the coming years, and hence, we have infused technology into several aspects of our teaching and learning across programmes for management education,” he said.

AI-embedded courses

The institute, he explains, is offering a range of courses in its MBA curriculum that involves the use of AI and data sciences in business. “This ensures students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate the evolving technological landscape,” he said.

“Our executive education programmes for working professionals also incorporate these aspects. For example, one of the recent courses that we offer is on how AI is transforming logistics,” he said.

To further accelerate R&D in this field, the institute established the Brij Disa Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CDSA). The centre provides a common platform for faculty, scholars and practitioners to conduct and share latest research in data analytics and AI, addressing business, governance and policy-related challenges.

IIM Raipur Director, Ram Kumar Kakani, said the integration of AI and GenAI served as a key element in its mission to develop future business leaders. “AI and GenAI concepts are deeply embedded within our curriculum. Courses like AI in business; GenAI and business value creation; and marketing analytics and metrics help students gain practical insights into how AI can drive business transformation,” Kakani said.

“We offer specialised modules focusing on digital ecosystems, enterprise automation and AI’s role in strategy and operations,” he said.

The institute deployed AI-enabled solutions such as Turnitin with AI detection for academic integrity. The institute was also offering resources and platforms to its faculty to help them cultivate expertise in AI and its business implications.

Anand Nandkumar, Associate Dean (Centre for Learning and Teaching Excellence) at the Indian School of Business (ISB), said the rapidly-evolving markets and fluid global scenarios required managers to consistently navigate ambiguous or uncertain domains. “They are expected to make strategic decisions about problems or situations they might never have faced in their lifetimes. That’s why one of the most critical skills that aspiring managers can have is the ability to learn continuously. Building on this imperative, ISB incorporates the latest and emerging technologies in our teaching modules, which in turn will empower our students to make the right decisions,” he said. 

Student experience

“Some of our faculty are using AI to enhance student experience and ready them to use AI effectively at work. They are pushing boundaries to show students that AI can do more than just help them submit assignments on time,” he said.

For instance, in one of the courses, the professor used the flipped classroom method with an AI companion. For each assignment in the class, a specific bot has been primed with materials such as newspaper articles and transcripts of videos. Students were expected to prepare for the class and ask questions to the bot while it answered the pre-class assignment. These questions or guided prompts helped student to deepen their learning with the help of the AI companion.

Students acknowledged that it was easier to pose questions to the bot, which they sometimes find tough to ask in class or that they could go in depth where they needed to. The students who embrace the chatbot’s capabilities engage with primary sources at a higher rate and perform better than students who do not use the tool.

ISB has incorporated VR in its courses too. This approach enables a superior experiential learning experience in case teaching. Students gain a first-hand feel of being at a specific location or geography, assess the challenges and opportunities, and accordingly think about addressing the questions posed to them, something 2D video cases cannot do.

ISB’s faculty has also unlocked another feature of AI, by using custom GPTs to provide students with instant feedback and personal tutoring. GPTs, tailored to specific applications, are providing students with personalised, instant feedback that is working to enhance their critical thinking and communication skills.

Vengalarao Pachava, Asst Professor, NMIMS, Hyderabad, said B-schools were progressively integrating emerging technologies like GenAI into their curriculum, transforming the students’ learning experiences.

“GenAI is a game-changer in many subjects. B-schools are creating an ecosystem where students can validate their business ideas and access advanced computing resources for AI-driven applications like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG),” he said.

Published on March 17, 2025