When ChatGPT crashed into our collective vocabularies in November 2022, it changed the way we think about business education. It quickly passed a final exam in the The Wharton School’s MBA program while 17% of Stanford University students admitted to using the chatbot on their final exams and assignments.
Debates on how it should be used in MBA and other classrooms proliferated even as more generative AI platforms like Google Bard and Microsoft Bing came to market. AI’s power to automate critical tasks, generate novel responses to complex problems, and improve efficiency of organizations quickly caught the attention of C-suite executives. Questions of whether chatbots should be banned in business school classrooms just as quickly shifted to how to teach people to use the tools effectively.
Around the world, leading business schools now offer a range of AI and Machine Learning executive education courses designed to bring professionals up to speed. Below, Poets&Quants For Execs reveals 10 such courses you can take in 2024.
1. Harnessing AI for Breakthrough Innovation and Strategic Impact
School: Stanford Graduate School of Business
Duration/dates: One week beginning April 27 or July 28, 2024
Format: In person
Cost: $15,000
Discover practical uses, advancements, and impacts of artificial intelligence to gain a competitive edge in your business or organization. Experts from various Stanford schools — including the Graduate School of Business, Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, School of Engineering, Law School, Medical School, and School of Humanities and Sciences — will collaborate to simplify AI concepts without technical jargon. They’ll offer strategies and frameworks to drive innovation and leadership in your organization.
2. Generative AI: Executive Strategies to Unlock Enterprise Value
School: Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
Duration/dates: Four days, March 5-8, 2024
Format: Live virtual
Cost: $3,950
Designed to help leaders understand AI to better identify and exploit opportunities within their enterprises and markets.
This program combines lectures, innovative frameworks, case studies, and interactive learning to provide leaders from diverse roles and industries a thorough grasp of generative AI and its real-world applications. It emphasizes generative AI use across the enterprise value chain to help participants develop and execute an AI strategy, integrate AI into core business processes, and address competition, governance, and ethical issues. No technical background needed.
3. Leading the AI-Driven Organization
School: MIT Sloan School of Management
Duration/dates: Fives days beginning April 22 or November 11, 2024
Format: In Person
Cost: $12,500
This course starts with an overview of AI’s current state, its evolution, and its implications for you, your teams, and your organizations. It covers the entire spectrum of AI, from basic principles to advanced areas like machine learning, deep learning, generative AI, and the progression towards artificial general intelligence. You’ll learn how AI technologies profoundly affect the future of work and how to strategically deploy them for enhanced value in business operations.
The course blends lectures with group activities and practical workshops – including building your own GenAI chatbot and training machine learning models. Students will work individually and in groups to develop a personalized AI playbook.
4. Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme
School: Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Duration/dates: 6 weeks beginning February 14, 2024
Format: Online
Cost: £2,200 (~$2760)
Designed for managers, business leaders, and technical professionals from various sectors who seek to understand AI technology’s functions, potential, and ethical aspects.
Leveraging the University of Oxford’s status as a leading center for AI with cutting-edge research spanning practical to theoretical aspects of AI, the program taps into the university’s multidisciplinary experts for a thorough exploration of AI and machine learning. In partnership with digital education provider GetSmarter, a 2U, Inc. brand, participants engage in a collaborative learning experience via a dedicated Online Campus.
Learn more.
5. The Business of AI
School: London Business School
Duration/dates: 10 weeks, ongoing start dates
Format: Self-paced online (4 to 5 hours per week)
Cost: £1,900 (~$2,385)
A comprehensive journey into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) within the business context. Participants will develop a robust understanding of both the potential and limitations the tools.
The course delves into numerous real-world case studies, demonstrating how AI’s global reach has interconnected businesses worldwide, fostering value creation in various sectors. Attendees will learn strategies to harness AI and ML to generate tangible benefits for their organizations. A significant focus of the course is the development of AI expertise, achieved through the hands-on process of designing, refining, and presenting an AI implementation plan, tailored to the unique needs and opportunities of their businesses. This practical approach ensures that participants leave the course equipped not only with theoretical knowledge but also with actionable skills to apply in their professional roles.
6. Artificial Intelligence: Business Strategies and Applications
School: UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Duration/dates: 2 months beginning January 11, 2024
Format: Online, 4 to 6 hours per week
Cost: $2,688
In 2022, the global AI market was valued at $136.55 billion, with projections by Bloomberg indicating a surge to$1.3 trillion by 2032. As AI becomes integral to modern business, organizations that adeptly incorporate these technologies are set to achieve operational excellence, sustainable growth, and a competitive edge.
This program is tailored to senior leaders, C-suite executives, senior managers, functional heads, mid-career professionals, data scientists, and those looking to advance their careers with AI knowledge. Participants will gain a deep understanding of AI’s current and future potential, learn to leverage generative AI for predictions, manage AI projects effectively, and communicate with technical teams. The program also addresses the challenges associated with AI technologies and concludes with a certificate from UC Berkeley Executive Education. This makes it ideal for those aiming to integrate AI into their business strategies or seeking to harness AI opportunities across various functions.
7. Competing in the age of AI
School: Harvard Business School
Duration/dates: 3 weeks beginning September 26, 2024
Format: Live online classes, self-paced work, discussion groups and virtual networking
Cost: $7,000
This live online program provides a comprehensive exploration of AI’s role in reshaping business models and operations. Participants will engage with cutting-edge AI tools like ChatGPT, learning to harness a range of capabilities essential for success in today’s data-centric environment. The course aims to transform participants into AI-first leaders, capable of driving their company’s transformation, unlocking new growth avenues, and navigating the ethical complexities associated with large-scale data and analytics.
Eligible for the Digital Transformation Certificate, this course covers a breadth of topics from AI applications, machine learning, predictive modeling, to data science. Participants will learn about network effects, platform strategies, and building an “AI factory” to excel in both existing and new markets. The course emphasizes analyzing and reinventing current business models, identifying opportunities, and creating growth plans.
8. Leveraging AI for business
School: Emory University Goizueta Business School
Duration/dates: 2 days, April 30 to May 1, 2024
Format: On campus
Cost: $2,495
Designed to provide a foundational understanding of how AI and Machine Learning are driving disruption and innovation across numerous industries in an accessible, non-technical, and interactive format.
Tailored to leaders, managers, and strategic decision makers, participants will learn how to seamlessly incorporate AI and generative AI into their organizational strategies. The course offers a comprehensive overview of the various ways businesses utilize AI for insightful decision-making. It aims to equip participants with a data scientist’s perspective, enhancing their ability to communicate effectively with technology teams regarding AI and generative AI applications.
9. Professional Certificate in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
School: Imperial College Business School
Duration/dates: 25 weeks beginning January 23, 2024
Format: Online, 15 to 20 hours per week
Cost: £3,556 (~$4,460)
The Professional Certificate in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence is a collaborative offering from Imperial College Business School Executive Education and Imperial College London’s Department of Computing.
The 25-week online program, led by industry experts, provides an in-depth exploration of ML and AI, blending advanced technical skills with business insights. It prepares participants to excel in their careers by understanding AI’s foundational and advanced concepts, assessing the feasibility of ML in business scenarios, and leveraging data to enhance predictive accuracy and decision-making. The program also focuses on developing and refining ML models using Python and standard industry tools, empowering participants to tackle real-world problems with innovative AI solutions.
10. Artificial Intelligence for Business
School: University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School
Duration/dates: 4 to 6 weeks, open enrollment
Format: Online, 2 hours per week
Cost: $599
Ideal for technology professionals, online marketers, statisticians, automation innovators, and data experts, this 4-week certificate program offers a deep dive into the intersection of AI and business. It is designed by Professor Kartik Hosanagar and focuses on the fundamentals of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning, emphasizing their application in supporting business strategies.
Key highlights of the course include insights into Big Data, the use of Machine Learning in finance, and the operational transformations AI brings to businesses. The curriculum is relevant across industries and market dynamics, offering the latest data and insights in AI.
DON’T MISS; HEC PARIS TOPS FINANCIAL TIMES’ RANKING OF EUROPEAN B-SCHOOLS FOR A FIFTH STRAIGHT YEAR AND EXEC ED ROUNDUP: GEORGETOWN MCDONOUGH’S DUBAI EMBA RECRUITS FOR SECOND COHORT
Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.