- 84 percent of business school deans and 80 percent of faculty embrace the idea of using GenAI in their work, finds AACSB.
- According to GMAC, 78 percent of business schools have integrated AI into their course curricula.
- This widespread adoption of AI across the business education may be driven by its potential to streamline work and increasing demand for tech-literate business graduates.
What can typewriters teach us about AI?
Though often considered a defunct technology nowadays, typewriters were once at the cutting edge of innovation – though snags and glitches are common.
According to acclaimed novelist Mark Twain, “The early machine was full of caprices, full of defects – devilish ones. It had as many immoralities as the machine of today [1905] has virtues. After a year or two I found that it was degrading my character.”
How easily this sentiment could be applied to fledgling Generative AI (GenAI) technology. Modern concerns about inaccuracies, plagiarism, and data security in AI-generated content follow on the heels of historical gripes that always accompany new innovations: early computers often overheated and crashed, the first typewriters jammed frequently, and so on back to – one imagines – prehistoric complaints that the wheel was not fit for purpose.
Yet, despite initial faults, technology continues to be refined with frequent use. Kinks are ironed out with new updates, protective legislation, and shared advice about best practice. This process is mutually beneficial, with time and effort spent learning how to use new technologies effectively being rewarded as people are able to work more efficiently.
80 percent of business school faculty embrace using GenAI
The competitive advantages of streamlining work with AI may go a long way to explaining the widespread – if cautious – adoption of GenAI across the global higher education sector.
After all, embracing this technology will not only help schools to become more agile and adaptable to students’ learning needs and preferences, but also acknowledges that introducing AI elements in course curricula is essential for students’ career prospects, as businesses increasingly prioritise hiring tech-literate graduates.
Data gathered by global accrediting body AACSB International highlights willingness across the sector to use new AI technologies. AACSB’s 2025 GenAI Report finds that 84 percent of business school deans and 80 percent of faculty fully embrace the idea of using GenAI in their work.
The report, based on two surveys aimed at faculty and deans respectively, provides three key takeaways about GenAI adoption across the sector:
- Though deans generally express more optimism about GenAI adoption, they broadly agree with faculty that the technology is a double-edged sword in terms of skill development. Business schools seek to foster creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills – and GenAI could either advance or undermine these aims, depending on how its use is regulated. Rethinking traditional methods of pedagogy and providing training to support faculty implementing GenAI in the classroom will be crucial. The AACSB report finds tutorial workshops and seminars were well-received by respondents, but suggests there is an untapped potential for more robust, credentialed training in GenAI.
- Concerns around ethics and privacy when using GenAI persist among faculty and deans alike. Institutional leaders need a clear understanding of the possible ways this technology could be misused, and frameworks must be introduced to guide faculty, students, and researchers on how to use GenAI with safety and integrity. While 46 percent of deans report their schools have implemented AI/GenAI policies, AACSB suggests greater clarity and actional guidance is needed.
- GenAI has the potential to greatly improve business schools’ efficiency and agility, from streamlining administrative and routine tasks to enabling the continuous updating of course materials and curricula. While these possibilities are cause for enthusiasm, some survey respondents also highlighted the need for institutions to refine bureaucratic processes so they can support more dynamic, fast-paced ways of operating.
Currently, schools are prioritising embedding GenAI as a teaching focus in course curricula, with limited efforts to integrate it in hiring, staffing, and departmental restructuring processes. This suggests most institutions are continuing to leverage existing resources and have not yet committed to significantly expanding their infrastructure to create more possibilities for GenAI adoption.
Regional differences in AI adoption
Research by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) paints a similar picture. Its 2024 Application Trends Survey Report reveals that 78 percent of business schools have integrated AI into their curricula.
However, as with the AACSB surveys, it finds the wider implementation of AI in administrative processes is less common.
For instance, GMAC reports that almost two-thirds (63 percent) of business schools have no policy in place when it comes to AI in their admissions processes. Only five percent reported embracing AI in this function, while around eight percent said they prohibited its use, and 21 percent used it on a case-by-case basis.
Approaches to AI adoption also vary by region. Business school programmes in Asia were more likely to actively implement AI in application processes, whereas programmes in Europe were more likely to prohibit it. In terms of curricula, programmes in Canada, the Asia-Pacific, and Europe were slightly more likely to have integrated AI than programmes in the US.
“As AI’s integration into everyday life rapidly accelerates, there is a need for well-defined policies at business schools on these technologies.”
Nalisha Patel, Regional Director for Europe and Americas at GMAC.
GMAC also identifies the need for clearly defined policies to guide students, faculty, and administrative staff on how to use AI safely and ethically.
“As AI’s integration into everyday life rapidly accelerates, there is a need for well-defined policies at business schools on these technologies,” says Nalisha Patel, Regional Director for Europe and Americas at GMAC. “Clear policies not only foster trust but also ensure AI benefits the whole educational landscape equally – widespread best practices and regulation could really help business schools grapple this issue.”
Building competency with GenAI
Taking action swiftly will be essential, as GenAI technology continues to evolve at an extraordinary pace. Business schools must remain at the cutting edge of advancing technology if they are to prepare future leaders with the creative problem-solving skills to address complex global challenges.
While reports show opinions differ on how GenAI should be implemented in the global higher education sector, there is a consensus that its impact will be profound.
Providing detailed guidelines on ethical and safe use and training faculty on how to use GenAI in their teaching and research are essential steps for ensuring GenAI is adopted in a way that enhances – rather than detracts from – human ingenuity.
There may be untapped potential for faculty to participate in certified GenAI qualifications, but this should be balanced with a degree of freedom, providing space for teachers and researchers to experiment with the technology. An open-minded approach to GenAI may reveal new ways it can boost productivity and inform decision-making.
Improving faculty and senior leaders’ familiarity with GenAI ensures a smoother, more targeted approach to implementation – utilising new technology in a way that harnesses its virtues and minimises any “devilish defects”.
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