BrAInstorm Celebration 2026: Turning AI Knowledge into Business Impact

Learning Artificial Intelligence Through Real Business Challenges

At EDHEC, artificial intelligence is learned through hands-on experience. Held at the conclusion of the AI for Business course, the brAInstorm Celebration gives students the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice by tackling challenges proposed by corporate partners. More than an academic exercise, the event immerses students in the real-world issues surrounding AI adoption in organisations, including value creation, feasibility, governance and responsible implementation.

For Sylvain Colombero, Professor at EDHEC, the brAInstorm Celebration is the natural culmination of the learning journey.

"The brAInstorm Celebration celebrates the challenges we introduce at the end of the AI for Business course."

Throughout the semester, students analyse real business challenges, identify opportunities created by artificial intelligence and develop recommendations that organisations can implement in practice.

As Tuba Bakici, also Professor at EDHEC, explains, the event gives teams the opportunity to present their work to EY professionals, who assess both the relevance and the feasibility of their proposals.

"This event brings together presentations of solutions developed from real business cases. Students can see how the concepts and technologies they have studied come to life in practical situations and how artificial intelligence can be applied in organisations."

By confronting students with real business expectations, the event adds a highly practical dimension to the learning experience.

Looking Beyond Technology

Projects are assessed against criteria that reflect the realities of deploying artificial intelligence within organisations.

According to Sylvain Colombero, the first consideration is the value each solution creates.

"What is the strongest value proposition? What is the best idea? Have the students truly understood the company's challenge?"

Technical excellence alone is not enough. Students must also demonstrate that their solutions can be implemented realistically by taking into account human, financial and organisational constraints, as well as the ethical considerations associated with artificial intelligence.

"Have they considered the human resources, financial resources and ethical issues needed to support the development, deployment and operation of their AI solution?"

This holistic approach reflects EDHEC's conviction that successful AI transformation depends not only on technological performance, but also on sound governance, effective organisation and the responsible use of technology.

At the end of the presentations, Sylvain Colombero praised the quality of the projects.

"I am proud to see that our students have demonstrated that artificial intelligence is not only about technology."

Delivering Practical Solutions to Business Challenges

This year's projects addressed a wide range of industries and business issues proposed by EY.

One of the winning teams designed an AI-powered conversational assistant to enhance the customer experience on an e-commerce platform. Its purpose is to guide users towards the products that best match their needs through personalised recommendations.

"The goal of this assistant is to help you find the product that best suits your needs by providing personalised recommendations," explained one of the students.

Another team focused on the telecommunications sector, developing a solution designed to reduce the gap between contractual commitments and the value actually delivered to customers.

These projects demonstrate the students' ability to combine business analysis, an understanding of organisational challenges and expertise in artificial intelligence technologies to develop solutions for complex business problems.

Collaboration: A Core AI Skill

Beyond the solutions themselves, participants highlighted the importance of teamwork throughout the project.

Made up of students with diverse academic backgrounds and complementary skills, the teams enabled every member to contribute, regardless of their level of technical expertise.

"We learned how to work together. Even students without a computer science background bring excellent ideas," said one of the award-winning students.

The experience also strengthened essential professional skills such as communication, organisation, active listening and collaboration.

"We learned how to organise ourselves, exchange ideas, listen to one another and work together."

At a time when AI projects require multidisciplinary expertise, these human skills are just as critical as technical capabilities.

For this student, the experience will remain a valuable asset throughout their professional career.

"I learned how to work better as part of a team, express my ideas and listen to others. Working with people from different backgrounds is always enriching, and this experience will benefit me throughout my career."

A Strategic Partnership with EY

The success of this edition also reflects the long-standing partnership between EDHEC and EY.

For Sylvain Colombero, this collaboration enables students to work on a broad range of business challenges drawn from multiple industries.

"We work with EY for the brAInstorm Challenge because we know their teams bring a wide variety of business topics."

In addition to serving on the judging panel, EY professionals took part in a roundtable discussion and networking session, providing students with first-hand insights into how artificial intelligence is transforming organisations today.

For Tuba Bakici, these exchanges are an essential component of the learning experience.

"The roundtable discussion and networking opportunities strengthened the interactions between our students and EY's teams."

By combining academic excellence with industry expertise, this partnership equips students with the skills needed to meet the evolving expectations of today's job market.

Educating the Next Generation of Responsible AI Leaders

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape organisations, EDHEC remains committed to preparing graduates who can harness its full potential while understanding the responsibilities that come with it.

Asked to summarise artificial intelligence in one word, Tuba Bakici answered simply:

"The future."

Sylvain Colombero offered a more nuanced perspective, describing today's AI ecosystem as an "organised mess": a rapidly evolving environment full of opportunities, yet one that still requires robust governance frameworks and thoughtful implementation.

Together, these two perspectives capture the spirit of the brAInstorm Celebration. By combining academic excellence, real business challenges and close collaboration with leading corporate partners, EDHEC prepares its students not only to understand artificial intelligence, but also to deploy it responsibly, strategically and in ways that create sustainable value for organisations.