The Human Side Of AI

This article originally appeared in Ambition, the flagship publication of AMBA, a global accreditation body that has been evaluating business schools around the world for almost 60 years. It has 300 members across 57 countries. 

A panel of faculty members from schools in South Africa, China, Malaysia, India, Japan, Kenya and Spain came together during AMBA & BGA’s recent conference in Bali to discuss AI’s potential to enhance business education and how the technology stands to impact learners, faculty and wider society. Tim Banerjee Dhoul presents highlights from the debate.

Across the world, AI and large language models (LLMs) are shaping new approaches to higher education and changing the way we think about the student experience. To explore how institutions are charting a course through this evolving terrain, AMBA & BGA used the Asia Pacific conference in Bali as an opportunity to team up with Brussels-based UBI Business School. Together, they convened a group of business school leaders from institutions across Africa, Asia and Europe, with panellists discussing a variety of themes around the technology’s potential impact on school communities in relation to programme delivery, personalisation, tutoring, career planning and more.

How can AI enhance, rather than replace, the uniquely human elements of teaching, mentoring and community building in business education?

James Njuguna: “AI will expand the horizons for us as educators; instead of treating it with a culture of suspicion, we should be embedding it as a culture of curiosity for our students. A lot of MBA programmes, including ours, already have courses on technology and I think we need to ensure that AI is embedded within these courses by discussing and enlightening students about its role.”

Kenji Yokoyama: “In Japan, businesspeople and students often spend a lot of time trying to improve their English, but they don’t tend to reach the level needed to, for example, attend lectures in English. And if you have to separate classes for international and Japanese students, you cannot maximise the global education environment at all. Moreover, most of the interpretation tools currently available can only translate spoken language into written language and there is also a time lag involved. A better form of interpretation using AI could change the international education scene completely.”

Xu Yong: “My university started as a foreign language training school and even now approximately half the students major in foreign language study. We started by looking at language barriers and how AI tools can help us overcome language difficulty. This is a very important and practical application of AI and the university’s Language Sciences Institute has been co-operating with Chinese companies to produce translating machines.”

Himanshu Rai: “In India, a policy stipulates that we reserve certain seats for candidates coming from different segments of society. These students might, for example, be economically or socially disadvantaged and our challenge is to ensure they are classroom-ready once they come into the programme. We also have a lot of students with backgrounds in engineering, many of whom need to further their understanding of economics before they start the programme. For these reasons, we currently have a tutorial system, particularly in the area of quantitative skills, that uses doctoral students. However, I think this is where AI could help, in becoming the tutor that makes students classroom-ready before they start their programme of study.”

Hassan Abu Bakar: “We used to get lots of engineers enrolling on our MBA programme and now we have lots of doctors and pharmacists coming in. They tend to have the same problem of being classroom-ready, with finance often presenting a big challenge. I believe that [the use of AI in] business simulations is the way to go. We have been working with Harvard Business Impact’s simulation package and students like it very much, especially those without a prior background in industry, because it helps bring real business perspectives into teaching and learning.”

Pumela Msweli: “Can you imagine a world where to get a job you don’t use a transcript, but some form of digital evidence or assessment that shows how you have changed society at a local, national, regional or even global level? In South Africa, there are about 100 million students in higher education and, as a country, we have been battling levels of unemployment of approximately 32 per cent. I think this is where AI and blockchain technology can assist us, by changing assessment for students and placing more focus on societal transformation.”

Desmond Yap: “There is always a particular lens through which each institution tries to solve the problems they observe within their sphere of influence, whether those relate to language learning, helping students become classroom-ready or career decision-making. We take these experiences on board as we seek to further develop our use of the technology; that’s why platforms like this play such an important part in establishing norms and standards regarding the use of AI.”

How can schools encourage responsible AI use while maintaining academic standards and trust in student work?

Xu Yong: “A healthy relationship between faculty/teachers and students exists when we think of them as being teammates, so we must ask if there is a risk of AI breaking this harmonious relationship. If teachers use AI, students may mistrust them, while if students use AI, teachers may mistrust them. We must find ways of dealing with these potentially negative effects and try to help them build a positive mindset because if we do not have this kind of trust between teachers and students, it will be very hard for us to use the technology.”

Pumela Msweli: “Students often cannot listen without touching a gadget and I think we are losing our humanity. In Africa, for instance, you don’t just rely on what people say, you also sense their energy and build your own intuition about the circumstances. AI takes away from that kind of intuitive, emotional intelligence. I think teaching, learning and assessment should focus on building human capabilities.”

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Panel Participants

CHAIR:

Debbie Kemp, Director of business school engagement AMBA & BGA

HOSTS:

Gaston Fornes, Dean, UBI Business School, Belgium

Desmond Yap, Deputy managing director UBI Business School, Belgium

DELEGATES:

Hassan Abu Bakar, Dean, Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia

Pumela Msweli, Former executive dean, UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership, University of South Africa (UNISA)

James Njuguna, Faculty member and MBA programme lead Strathmore University Business School, Kenya

Himanshu Rai, Director, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, India

Luis Torras Arruga, Senior adjunct professor in strategy, EADA Business School, Spain & member of the International Accreditation Advisory Board (IAAB), AMBA & BGA

Xu Yong, Deputy dean, School of Business and Management Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), China

Kenji Yokoyama, Dean of external relations NUCB Business School, Japan

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Luis Torras: “Are we talking about reshaping work, or are we talking about reshaping our society and changing our culture, values and assumptions? We must consider the potential negative impact on our capacity to think. It’s a fascinating world, but I’m seriously worried that we still don’t know how we will manage it. We need to create control mechanisms and balance this technology with the human side. Otherwise, we will be creating MBA graduates with a limited capacity to think critically and make decisions.”

Gaston Fornes: “For me, one of the most positive and unexpected things we currently see is the extent to which our students already realise the opportunities, strengths and limitations of how AI can enhance their work. This is enabling them to use AI responsibly and efficiently to support their professional development.”

Should business schools have a formal policy or set of guidelines that govern the use of AI?

Kenji Yokoyama: “It’s not easy to anticipate future developments and this makes it difficult to decide on a policy. This is why we should allow younger faculty members to experiment, so we can evaluate the impact on students’ education and try to curate examples of good practice. After that, we can decide on the policy.”

Desmond Yap: “What is the purpose and the role of policies and rules of engagement? Perhaps it is to simplify some elements, because humans like simplicity, but it also brings a certain element of control. At the same time, the challenge is about creating some space for pure, human-led innovation in this environment.”

Hassan Abu Bakar: “I would like to have a business school policy on AI, because we want to move quickly to keep pace with the needs of business. However, as we are a public university, we need to wait for the Ministry of Higher Education to determine its policy first.”

Pumela Msweli: “Our university has a set of AI guidelines encouraging the use of the technology. We were all invited to a conference that outlined a variety of AI tools we can use, such as DeepSeek, for different projects, especially those in relation to academic writing and the supervision of students. There’s also an approved university policy on how to disclose your use of AI.”

How prepared are business schools to integrate AI tools into teaching, learning and administration? What are the main barriers to adoption?

Gaston Fornes: “Companies are already using it, so what are we saying to our students and graduates? ‘No, don’t use it?’ On the contrary, they need to be AI-ready; in fact, I think it is our responsibility to help our graduates. In addition, companies are saying that they expect us, ie schools, to train their people in AI because they don’t have the capacity. I mean, only the biggest companies and consultancies have the resources for this and they represent just five per cent of the market.”

Hassan Abu Bakar: “We have invested in case studies on AI from NUCB Business School’s Case Centre Japan and we have to train faculty in these new approaches. Let them work with AI and critique its advantages and disadvantages, so that it becomes an assistant that brings a new perspective into learning and enhances the job we do.”

Xu Yong: “Right now, some teachers are using AI largely for their own convenience, so it would be hard to say that they have developed a consistent and coherent strategy in their courses. Students, too, might only be using AI to save them time and effort. We still have a lot of work to do to put the technology to use in a way that truly benefits both students and teachers.”

Desmond Yap: “Due to the scope, speed and disruptiveness of AI, the overall load has increased for higher education institutions in terms of resource and budget allocation, as well as from the human perspective. That means workload and investments may increase in the initial adoption and transitional phase of onboarding AI tools before schools see the longer-term ROI.”

Himanshu Rai: “Younger members of faculty tend to adopt AI faster. Older faculty members are more likely to treat it with suspicion but, of course, there are some older members of faculty who have adopted it and started finding some joy in it because of particular applications they find interesting. However, the biggest challenge among most of the people I speak to at deans’ conferences is the attitude of the faculty.”

Pumela Msweli: “The biggest barrier is at an attitudinal level. Academics don’t like to say, ‘I don’t know’ and we must assume that some people will be scared and find ways of getting them to deal with their fears.”

James Njuguna: “Generally, there is still a lot of fear and negativity around AI, so we need to change mindsets around how the technology can be used in a responsible and ethical manner, especially among staff, faculty and students.”

Luis Torras: “AI can be incorporated into all the activities of a business school’s value chain, including its support activities. There is also a barrier at the level of staff, because if AI is taking away some of the operational aspects of a staff member’s work, it is no surprise that they would be against it. And without the staff, we don’t have a business school.”

How has your school been using AI and what opportunities do you see for the technology’s further implementation and that of LLMs?

Himanshu Rai: “We have already developed some fantastic courses around AI, both as a part of the MBA curriculum and in executive education. In fact, our diploma programme in AI and machine learning has been doing very well.

“We have also had some significant success in the use of AI to solve problems in the community. For example, to combat the spread of fake news, my faculty colleagues and I created an algorithm that can capture fake news in text with up to 95 per cent accuracy. Now, we are working on the video and audio models. In addition, we are using AI for teacher training in schools, particularly government-run schools that are not very well funded.”

James Njuguna: “We have developed some courses on emerging technologies and the expectation is that the faculty who facilitate them will also integrate AI into the curriculum. For us, it is particularly important to incorporate the ethics of AI because our university has a strong emphasis on integrity and ethics, as evidenced in our comprehensive Lecturer Guidelines for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools.

“Industry collaboration is also helpful here, because exposing students to companies that are already leveraging AI forms an extremely valuable reference point and learning resource.”

Luis Torras: “What I have noticed is that most institutions are already incorporating AI elements, but many don’t have a coherent strategy yet. Those that have gone further in the implementation have developed a clear business model. They start by creating an educational environment that tries to transform mindsets and, for example, integrates AI in programmes, operations and so on.

“The second stage is a technological strategy that ensures continued access to AI resources, fosters innovation within the faculty, engages stakeholders to experiment with new applications and collaborates with industry. This last point is critical because AI comes from industry and these business schools are developing strategic alliances with corporations that allow them to learn how they have implemented AI and how its applications can be adapted to their organisations.

“A further strategy relates to people and seeks to enhance AI literacy among staff. And lastly, a governance model leading to the creation of committees and working groups that will help update policies and guidelines, encourage continuous improvement and engage external stakeholders. These four elements really help in the implementation of AI.”

Gaston Fornes: “We believe in the complementarity of humans and technology, or Human-AI, first. This is the approach we have taken and 100 per cent of our virtual learning, for example, is synchronous with a person.”

Students increasingly expect personalised, on‑demand learning. How can AI platforms help business schools meet those expectations?

Pumela Msweli: “AI gives us the opportunity to rethink our curricula. Some things we used to teach no longer need to be taught in the same way. So, we can instead place a greater emphasis on leadership, because AI can’t teach you leadership. It is also a chance to consider adjusting competencies covered in the curriculum to match the skills that are most in demand in different regions of the world and perhaps even at an industry level.”

Himanshu Rai: “First of all, we need to help students understand their purpose and find a career that can take them closer to that purpose. We can help them do this through reflection and introspection and I’m not sure AI can do that. Where the technology can come in is in conducting an individual analysis of career aspiration once students have completed the core courses and started their electives.

“From their course choices and some competence testing, we can deduce potential career goals and assess any gaps that might need to be filled. And I think it would be fantastic if the AI could then point out some asynchronous courses that can help them or inform the career services department as to what more needs to be done to enhance that individual’s prospects.”

Xu Yong: “AI can certainly help students find the most effective way to develop their own skills. While this is clearly valuable, we also need to remember that education is a group activity and appreciate its social aspect. When students come together, they learn from each other and further develop positive human emotions, such as compassion and understanding of difference. So, I think we need to keep a balance between what’s termed as ‘personalised’ education and group education.”

 

How do you believe AI and LLMs should be developing to support teaching & learning?

Desmond Yap: “There are a lot of complexities in this discussion, but today’s fundamental point is about the human input, whether this relates to students, faculty, institutional stakeholders or employers. The need to manage the emotions of fear, ego and trust seems to be another recurring theme. However, I believe we all align and agree that AI is meant to augment, support and complement learning objectives and not replace it as a central focus.”

James Njuguna: “The key message is to ensure that learning is about transformation and the extent to which participants can impact their own organisations and society at large. This means that they must still develop the knowledge and competencies needed to manage and lead their organisations. At the same time, they should understand how AI can be applied in the workplace to help address the challenges that our businesses and countries face in the same way as any other technology‑related tool.”

Hassan Abu Bakar: “I believe we should embed it into our teaching and learning. At the MBA level in particular, I would emphasise the importance of developing experiential learning with the integration of AI and as mentioned earlier, the use of AI simulations.”

Gaston Fornes: “Sometimes, we find ourselves focusing on the negative aspects, but we must also focus on the positive aspects of how AI can help us improve ourselves. For example, the reskilling of the labour force is a major challenge, but it’s amazing how people are already engaging with AI and working to enhance their opportunities. In this sense, we are currently finalising a programme with the Chamber of Commerce to train 10,000 micro and small businesses in AI because we believe people need to know how to use this technology.”

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