He Used A Chat-Bot To Riff On Our Dean’s 2025 Predictions

 

Every year we ask business school thought leaders for their predictions for business education in the new year. This year was no exception.

But in the age of ChatGPT, one academic decided to build on those predictions using an AI-bot called Claude.ai. Wilfred Mijnhardt, the policy director of the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University, fed our predictions and resolutions over the past five years into the AI engine and asked it to build on the annual New Year’s predictions.

The bot made a number of fascinating predictions, including those on quantum computing integration and mental health. Here’s what came out:

WM: Hi Claude, Make an analysis of 5 years new year resolutions of business school deans and assess which predictions were nonsense and which were good based on your knowledge of these years and which one are relevant for 2025. Elaborate on each evalutated prediction with max 200 words and cite the dean who gave the evaluated prediction.

Claude: Let me analyze key predictions from business school deans over 2020-2024 and evaluate their relevance for 2025, drawing from the provided articles.

Strategic Narratives in Business School Leadership: 2020-2025 Predictions Analysis:

AI Integration and Digital Transformation 

Cornell’s Johnson School demonstrated evolving perspectives on AI integration through successive leadership. Dean Mark Nelson’s 2020 focus on “opportunity, community, and individuals” laid the foundation. Dean Andrew Karolyi then expanded this vision in 2024 emphasizing responsible leadership and research alignment. His prediction of AI’s transformative impact on business education proved particularly prescient, as evidenced by the school’s integration of AI across disciplines, leveraging Cornell’s strong position in AI research (#3 ranked). The progression shows how initial predictions about technology integration evolved into comprehensive strategic implementation.

Sustainability and Climate Leadership 

LBS Dean François Ortalo-Magné’s predictions focused on climate leadership have been notably accurate. In 2022, he committed to “amplifying the impact of researchers and collaborating with business school leaders through Business Schools for Climate Leadership.” The collaboration of eight business schools at COP26 demonstrated real action following prediction. Berkeley Haas interim Dean Jennifer Chatman built on this momentum in 2024, evidenced by their ClimateCap MBA summit’s success with 500 students from 41 schools, showing how sustainability predictions evolved from aspirational to actionable.

Global Business Education 

INSEAD Dean Ilian Mihov’s 2022 prediction about the need for collective action and collaboration proved accurate. His observation that “business has a crucial role to play in looking to build a better society where people and the planet are a priority” set a clear direction. The school’s approach to global collaboration, leveraging its presence across multiple campuses and diverse student body representing over 70 nationalities, demonstrated practical implementation of this vision.

Future of Work and Skills 

Georgetown McDonough Dean Paul Almeida’s 2021 predictions about the need for greater flexibility and customization in business education proved prescient. The school’s subsequent launch of the Flex MBA Online and expansion of technology-enabled learning options directly aligned with his vision. His emphasis on preparing “principled and caring leaders” while adapting to technological change shows balanced foresight about future workplace needs.

Cross-Cultural Leadership 

HEC Paris Dean Eloïc Peyrache’s 2022 vision of business schools as “laboratories of peace” offered a unique perspective on global leadership development. His prediction about the importance of diversity in tackling global challenges led to concrete initiatives, including new scholarship programs aimed at attracting talent from countries experiencing conflict, demonstrating how predictions can translate into meaningful action.

These predictions collectively point to 2025 requiring integration of technological innovation with sustainability leadership and global collaboration, all supported by measurable outcomes and clear implementation strategies. The most accurate predictions came from deans who balanced aspirational vision with practical implementation paths.

WM: Add 5 to 10 extra predictions for 2025 that the deans didn’t mention, with a maximum 300 words per prediction.

Claude: New Strategic Predictions for Business Education 2025

Quantum Computing Integration

Business schools will need to prepare for quantum computing’s impact on finance, optimization, and decision-making. By 2025, leading schools will need to integrate quantum computing principles into their curricula, particularly in finance and operations courses. Early movers will partner with quantum technology companies to develop specialized courses and research centers. Schools with strong STEM connections will have an advantage, but the key challenge will be making quantum concepts accessible to business students. Expect 2-3 top schools to announce quantum business centers by late 2025, focusing on practical applications in portfolio optimization, supply chain management, and risk analysis.

Mental Health and Leadership Development

Business education will integrate mental health and wellbeing more formally into leadership development programs. The post-pandemic emphasis on workplace wellness will evolve into structured curricula on mental health management, both personal and organizational. Schools will create dedicated wellness centers combining traditional counseling with leadership development. Expect assessment metrics to include emotional intelligence and resilience alongside traditional academic measures. This shift will be driven by corporate demand for leaders capable of managing high-stress environments while maintaining team wellbeing.

Microeconomic Impact of AI

As AI reshapes local economies, business schools will develop specialized programs focusing on AI’s microeconomic impacts. This goes beyond current AI strategy courses to examine how AI affects local business ecosystems, labor markets, and community development. Schools will create research initiatives studying AI’s impact on small businesses and local economies, developing frameworks for responsible AI adoption at the community level. Expect partnerships with local governments and small business associations to provide real-world laboratories for studying and managing AI’s economic effects.

Alternative Credentials Architecture

Business schools will develop sophisticated systems for stackable credentials that combine traditional degrees with specialized certificates. The architecture will allow students to build customized education pathways mixing online, hybrid, and in-person learning across multiple institutions. Schools will form consortiums to accept each other’s credits and certificates, creating fluid education marketplaces. This will challenge traditional MBA programs but create opportunities for schools to specialize in specific domains while partnering for comprehensive education delivery.

Biomimicry in Business Education

By 2025, leading business schools will incorporate biomimicry principles into their curricula, studying how natural systems can inform business strategy and organizational design. This will go beyond sustainability to examine how biological systems handle complexity, adaptation, and resource allocation. Expect new courses combining biology, business strategy, and organizational behavior, with case studies examining companies successfully applying biomimicry principles. Schools will partner with biology departments to create cross-disciplinary research centers studying business applications of natural systems.

WM: Add 5 to 10 extra predictions for 2025 that the deans didn’t mention, with a maximum of 300 words per prediction and add how transdsiciplinarity will play a role.

Claude: Here are 5 transformative predictions for 2025 business education that emphasize transdisciplinary integration:

Neuroscience-Informed Decision Making

Business schools will integrate neuroscience into decision-making curricula, moving beyond behavioral economics to incorporate real-time neurological insights. Transdisciplinary convergence between neuroscience departments, psychology, and business schools will create new frameworks for understanding leadership cognition and decision-making under pressure. Programs will install research facilities combining EEG/fMRI capabilities with business simulations. By 2025, expect 5-7 top schools to launch “Neuroscience for Business Leadership” centers combining faculty from neuroscience, psychology, and business. This integration will fundamentally reshape how we understand and teach strategic decision-making, risk assessment, and leadership development. The melding of these disciplines will create entirely new research methodologies and pedagogical approaches.

Synthetic Biology and Business Innovation

The convergence of synthetic biology and business entrepreneurship will spawn new MBA specializations by 2025. Business schools will partner with bioengineering departments to create programs focusing on commercializing synthetic biology innovations. This transdisciplinary approach will combine traditional MBA skills with understanding of biological systems, regulatory frameworks, and ethical implications. Schools will develop innovation labs where business students collaborate with bioengineers on commercial applications. Industry partnerships with synthetic biology startups will provide real-world projects and internships. The intersection of these fields will create new career paths and reshape how we think about sustainable business innovation.

Urban Systems Integration

Business schools will develop programs integrating urban planning, technology, and business management to address complex city challenges. This transdisciplinary approach will combine expertise from urban planning, engineering, public policy, and business schools. Programs will focus on smart city development, sustainable urban systems, and public-private partnerships. Schools will create urban innovation labs where students from multiple disciplines collaborate on real city projects. By 2025, expect several schools to launch “Urban Systems Management” degrees combining business fundamentals with urban planning and technology integration skills. This convergence will create new frameworks for managing complex urban ecosystems.

Quantum Social Science

Business schools will pioneer new approaches combining quantum theory principles with social science and organizational behavior. This radical transdisciplinary integration will explore how quantum concepts like entanglement and superposition might inform understanding of organizational dynamics and social networks. Programs will combine faculty from physics, social science, and business schools to develop new theoretical frameworks. Early research centers will explore applications in organizational design, network theory, and decision science. This convergence will challenge traditional linear thinking in management theory and create new paradigms for understanding complex social systems in business.

Climate Finance Engineering

A new hybrid discipline will emerge combining climate science, financial engineering, and sustainability management. This transdisciplinary field will integrate expertise from climate science, engineering, finance, and business schools to develop innovative climate finance solutions. Programs will focus on designing and implementing complex financial instruments for climate adaptation and mitigation. Schools will create climate finance labs combining physical climate modeling with financial engineering tools. By 2025, expect leading schools to offer specialized degrees in Climate Finance Engineering, preparing graduates to design and manage sophisticated climate risk instruments and investments. This integration will create new frameworks for pricing and managing climate risk in financial markets.

DON’T MISS: Poets&Quants’ Annual New Year’s Predictions From Business School Thought Leaders or Deans’ 2025 Resolutions: How B-Schools Are Planning The New Year