The linchpin for transformation
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is steadily making large strides as it moves from the borders of the business ecosystem to the very core of global business operations. From guiding pricing decisions, predicting market demand, and seamlessly optimising supply chain functions to designing memorable experiential brand campaigns and effectively handling customer service, AI is the linchpin for market transformation. From the perspective of business schools, the revolutionary shift driven by AI creates a pressing need to equip present and future managers with the necessary skill sets not only to comprehend but also effectively and ethically apply AI tools in management and leadership functions. As a highly-reputed management institute in India, with strong foundations in operations and analytics, IIM Mumbai is dedicated to incorporating AI into our education, research and collaborations with industry. At IIM Mumbai, we perceive building analytical thought leaders, ethical decision-makers and capable digital collaborators as an opportunity and a duty.
In partnership with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Masai School, we have introduced a new Global Online Certification Course, Generative AI for Data-Driven Business Decision-Making, 2025. The rigorous course is designed to endow professionals with techniques and analytical dexterity for applying generative AI to handle and resolve real-world business challenges. The program is jointly steered by me and David Simchi-Levi, professor from MIT and one of the leading experts in the field of data science and supply chain management. Having designed the course curriculum collectively, our focus has been on linking theoretical assessment with practical usage, such that the participants are aware of how large-language models (LLMs) like ChatGpt and Gemini generate code, ideas and images, how prompt design impacts search outcomes and how Gen AI tools can aid in building and sustaining strategic managerial decisions. This affiliation with NSDC ensures that our educational model is in sync with India’s national skilling strategy, while Masai School offers a nimble, industry-focused teaching approach to make AI education available to professionals in various sectors.
The MBA-PGP (Ex) students recently got the opportunity to learn more about AI’s ability to revolutionise business through an interactive session, presented by Mayank Baranwal (senior scientist, TCS), titled: From Prompts to Python: Cracking the Code of Generative AI. The session enlightened the participants on how AI can curate surveys, examine responses and remarkably present Python scripts in a couple of seconds. The managerial tasks that at one point in time seemed futuristic are now contemporary. In tandem with such events and guest sessions, we are integrating AI educational courses into the curriculum. Courses in the semester-wise curriculum like Data Science & Applications (Fundamentals and Programming Techniques), Business Intelligence, Decision Support Systems & AI Applications, Data Science & Applications (AI & ML Techniques) and AI-ML-Based Quality Management (under Operations and Supply Chain Management) hone our students with a strong and reliable foundation in data analytics, machine learning, and applied intelligence.
AI acceptance and integration are also reflected in our research environment. Our faculty and doctoral students are working on a number of ground-breaking areas that apply machine learning and AI, such as predictive maintenance and optimisation in supply chain, algorithmic trading and financial forecasting, sustainability management and sentiment modelling in marketing communication. Through these research initiatives, IIM Mumbai aims to not just inform and instruct people about AI but also advance its development.
In order to sustain and cultivate the AI ecosystem, we have launched the Centre of Excellence in Advanced AI Solutions for Business Decisions, in alliance with Course5 Intelligence Limited. The centre operates as an innovation lab, which bridges the industry-academia gap, through projects, mentorship, and develops AI-driven solutions for real-world problems. Our vision for IIM Mumbai is to be a cauldron where technology traverses with humanity, where data science is approached not merely as a programming tool, but more as an analytical application.
As we envision the evolution of management education, we genuinely believe that the business schools that will succeed over the next decade are those that welcome, integrate and apply AI as a core managerial skill. The era of AI should not be seen as a challenge to management education but rather its greatest potential. Our duty as educators is to make sure that technology enhances human intelligence, rather than replacing it. At IIM Mumbai, we take pride in shaping that future, advancing one algorithm, one concept and one manager at a time.