A surge of interest from executives in the commercial implications of generative artificial intelligence is pushing business schools to offer a raft of new courses teaching digital understanding and skills. 

A survey of about 10,000 learners across 40 countries, published by education consultants CarringtonCrisp this month, found nearly half of respondents anticipate learning about AI in the next five years. Other digital subjects were also in vogue: cyber security (cited by 33 per cent), digital marketing (31 per cent), ecommerce (29 per cent) and data analytics (26 per cent), alongside more traditional business skills.

AI is about so much more than generating text and pictures

The launch of tools such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT, launched in November 2022, has spurred organisations across private and public sectors to experiment with generative AI. As a result, business schools report a strong appetite for short-course executive education programmes focused on the technology, whether open-enrolment or those customised for companies.