AI Generations: What If Schools Set the Rules?

In 2024, 65% of students used generative AI for data search and analysis (1). At EDHEC, this technological shift — dating to the advent of generative AI in 2022 — has also been an opportunity to reaffirm a key educational principle: learning how to think in a world saturated with algorithms. 

Because behind the rise of artificial intelligence lies a cultural revolution. “AI is not just another chapter in our curriculum; it will become the grammar of tomorrow’s business,” warns Benoît Arnaud, dean of programmes.

The school has therefore placed AI at the heart of its strategic plan, Generations 2050, scheduled to be rolled out through 2028. “Our goal isn’t to train AI experts, but leaders who can manage and guide AI experts,” says Arnaud.

Learning as a Three-Stage Rocket

To that end, EDHEC has developed a “three-stage rocket” to address the topic with students according to their level of specialisation.

“We start with awareness modules in lecture format, which are integrated into all our programmes, especially at the bachelor’s level. Then we offer more advanced modules within broader business degrees. Finally, we’ve developed fully specialised degrees that combine business and technical skills,” Arnaud explains. Among the most advanced programmes are the Master’s Degree in Data Science and AI for Business — including a new “Data Science and AI” track launched in the 2024-2025 academic year — as well as the MSc in Marketing Analytics and the MSc in Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.

These degrees all have a strong technical component, as Cédric Verbeeck, director of the MSc in Data Analytics and AI, explains: “The programme aims to bridge the gap between business and computing, equipping students with the skills needed to make data-driven decisions — from gathering relevant data to applying algorithms or statistical models.”

This approach has now become the norm at many top institutions, including Harvard, where Gregg Kober recently echoed a similar point: “The role of leaders goes far beyond facilitating AI implementation. They must fully appreciate AI’s potential and be able to bridge the gap between technological capabilities and strategic goals" (2).

Critical Thinking at the Core

Beyond training for technical versatility, the priority is to prepare a generation capable of sound decision-making in a volatile world. “We want to teach our students to exercise sound judgement — a judgement informed by complexity,” says Arnaud. 

That means building a curriculum around fact-checking and cultural literacy. But EDHEC has taken things a step further: “Critical thinking must be the beating heart of our teaching — the ability to reason independently, instead of blindly asking AI to do it for you. Tomorrow’s leaders might well be AI trainers: able to question, probe, even push these systems to their limits.”

These profiles are already in high demand, Verbeeck confirms: “We want our graduates to have strong business acumen combined with data analytics problem-solving skills. These hybrid profiles are gaining value in a market shifting towards Industry 4.0 and the digital enterprise.”

Versatile, critical-minded — and more human than ever. That’s the outlook for tomorrow’s leaders, according to a 2023 study on the history of management, published in Springer Nature. The researchers argue, “The more AI is used in management, the more leaders need to prioritise soft skills over hard skills.” (3)

For Arnaud, that also calls for resilience: “When you can’t predict what a president will say in the next 24 hours, it becomes very difficult for a leader to have a strategic vision. That’s why general culture will be vital — it will allow you to take a step back. Leaders will need to be resilient because time is speeding up and shocks are hitting harder.”

Lead, but Stay Alert

How can we guide generations who’ve grown up with AI towards informed, responsible use?

EDHEC is tackling the issue headon, co-founding a consortium for responsible AI with the aim of defining a shared methodological framework to navigate the coming revolution. “When it comes to AI, we have gone from candles to nuclear power plants, but we are still applying the rules designed for candles,” warns Arnaud. 

The school has introduced a clear framework outlining what type of data students may not input into AI systems, and it works with them to unpack the gender bias embedded in algorithms. “We show our students that machine output is never neutral; it’s shaped by the moral frameworks of its creators. We compare different generative AI tools and highlight which are better at dismantling gender bias… though none are truly optimal yet.”

In this context, management schools must do more than update their syllabuses; they must reinvent themselves entirely. “Learning means accepting that we don’t know what we don’t know,” says Arnaud. “Human machine interfaces will radically transform our ability to innovate — in ways we can’t yet imagine.” Part of that transformation will come through collective intelligence. “As a professor, I share my programming knowledge with students, but I also learn a lot from their experiences,” adds Verbeeck.

As algorithms refine their answers, EDHEC is choosing to focus on the art of asking better questions. A bold challenge for future generations of decision makers in a world where it’s all too tempting to let the machine think for us!

References

(1) Etude FNEGE 2024, Regards croisés sur les IA génératives dans l'Enseignement supérieur en gestion - https://www.calameo.com/read/00193017163b774979682

(2) AI-First Leadership: Embracing the Future of Work, jan. 2025, harvardbusiness.org - https://www.harvardbusiness.org/insight/ai-first-leadership-embracing-the-future-of-work/

(3) Erkal, H., Vandekerckhove, W. Management – from Farms to Arms and Further on. Philosophy of Management 23, 1–16 (2024) - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40926-023-00245-4

Are managers at risk in an AI-driven future?, oct. 2024, The Conversation, by Wim Vandekerckhove (EDHEC) - https://theconversation.com/are-managers-at-risk-in-an-ai-driven-future-239754