A message from Dean Johnson, Dean of the College of Business.
The Opportunity of AI Everywhere
Every aspect of our lives is becoming more digital, presenting serious challenges and serious rewards. As an investment markets researcher, I’m inclined to acknowledge threats while focusing on the positives.
It’s been long feared that artificial intelligence, or AI, could hurt workers—but some CEOs are more encouraged by the jobs AI will create. To paraphrase Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, the idea of losing today’s jobs hits us harder because our minds can easily imagine losing them—it’s harder to imagine what new jobs will be created in their absence.
AI is also projected to boost labor productivity by more than 30 percent, according to a Brookings report. And, per Forbes, it may also inspire an entrepreneurial boom, giving workers more time for side hustles as the efficiency of workplace tasks increases. Beyond that, AI has already begun making an impact in the customer service industry, where Salesforce reports that more than 70 percent of consumers expect a personalized experience—and AI is helping to deliver through seamless chatbots and on-the-money search engine suggestions.
My takeaway from these statistics is that, rather than fearing AI, we must embrace it as we would any other new tool—risks and all—and in doing so, create opportunities for the betterment of business and society.
The future is approaching fast, and Michigan Tech College of Business students and alumni are not only keeping up—they’re steering the strategy. Our new Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics immerses students in the use of AI, along with database management, econometrics, machine learning, predictive modeling, and statistical programming. Using AI and these other tools, Huskies can leverage the massive amounts of data generated across industries today to help businesses optimize decision-making, conserve resources, and create new and sustainable revenue streams.
AI is opening a gateway to the business world of tomorrow. Here in the College of Business, we’re ready.
Sincerely,
Dean Johnson
Dean, Michigan Tech College of Business
dean@mtu.edu
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
