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Just as the internet and mobile phones have revolutionised how companies operate over the past 20 years, the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how consumers interact with products. To address the strategic commercial use of AI technology, the MS in Information Systems (MSIS) programme at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business is expanding course offerings to further integrate AI training. The revamp will equip business professionals with the in-demand skills companies need.
“AI is a technology that can offer tremendous value to companies. We are teaching business students how to deploy those technologies to help businesses gain greater value,” said Bipin Prabhakar, clinical professor, chair of Information Systems Graduate Programs, and Fettig/Whirlpool Faculty Fellow. “From eliminating repetitive work to improving the consumer experience, AI has the potential to help companies meet their strategic goals and run more efficiently.”
New AI course offerings
The MSIS programme has offered AI lessons within its curriculum for the past couple of years, but the latest updates now include an AI requirement for completion of the degree and two options to pursue concentrations in this area.
A new element of the program for all MSIS students is a core course exploring how AI technologies enable greater efficiency in business. Whether it’s programming a chatbot to effectively answer consumer questions or inputting employee work hours into an algorithm to alleviate a bottleneck, the Advanced AI Technologies course trains MSIS graduates to understand and use AI in business applications.
Through collaboration with corporate partners and alumni working in AI-related fields, Kelley faculty have introduced two new AI concentrations in the MSIS degree. Students can now pursue an AI concentration through two courses:
AI Technology Design, Deployment, and Use explores the technologies available for engineering the use of AI and what it means to use the technology responsibly by addressing privacy, security, governance, and compliance concerns. Meanwhile, Enterprise Process Intelligence focuses on bringing AI capabilities into business processes. By analysing data from various back-end processes, such as procurement, production, payroll, and human resources, students learn to incorporate AI to understand process variations, efficiencies, bottlenecks, and how to improve the business.
The goal is for graduates of the MSIS programme to bring into the workforce an understanding of both the technical aspects of how AI works as well as the strategic, ethical, and operational opportunities it provides. Through this training, info systems professionals will be able to support companies in implementing effective AI offerings.
Hillol Bala’s areas of expertise span digitalisation in organisations and society, IT-enabled organisational change, and IT use. Source: Kelley School of Business
“Business graduates should have some understanding of the technical aspects of AI. While they may not need to programme the AI algorithms themselves, it’s important for them to understand the underlying technological aspects so they can implement this technology effectively,” said Hillol Bala, professor of information systems and Conrad Prebys Professor.
“The other side of managing AI is learning transparency and the ethical implications of this technology as well as any applicable regulations. That’s a major undertaking. Current business students who understand this modern landscape will be better leaders over the next 10 to 15 years, guiding us through the implementation and use of AI.”
The new courses offer significant practical implications as well as theoretical aspects of AI and machine learning. As companies explore adopting AI technologies to improve operations and customer access, they increasingly need professionals with expertise to develop and manage this work. It’s not enough to simply understand how to design, implement, and monitor AI technologies in a business; info systems professionals will also need to understand what it means for customers and staff to interact with AI and how it can be best designed for those interactions.
Artificial intelligence research in business
Kelley faculty members who teach in the MSIS Programme are also leading research into the use of AI to better understand the technological aspects of AI, its economic impact, and how humans react to its use.
Professor Bala’s research explores both the intended and unintended consequences of using AI technologies in various contexts. He’s investigating the use of AI in the job interview process and how various levels of transparency induce (or alleviate) stress. He’s also examined how the use of AI can lead to questionable behavior when validations are skipped during times of stress.
“My research projects work to understand how AI tools may or may not actually be beneficial,” said Bala, who is also the co-director of the Institute for Digital Enterprise at Kelley, which connects students, employers, and faculty to business applications of emerging technologies. “Hopefully this research will lead to major policy implications and other practical benefits down the road.”
Learn more about Kelley’s MS in Information Systems today.
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