Silicon Valley giant Microsoft Corporation which is working to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in its products from Azure to Windows, has just launched a new free, online AI Business School for executives.

According to the company’s AI blog, the school’s course materials includes written case studies and guides, plus videos of lectures, perspectives and talks that busy executives can access in small doses when they have time.
 

Course provides overview of AI technologies

A series of short introductory videos provide an overview of the AI technologies driving change across industries, but the bulk of the content focuses on: managing the impact of AI on company strategy, culture, technology basics and responsibility. The course will include tools for things like evaluating a business’ AI maturity level to understand what’s required to successfully implement artificial intelligence.

In today’s digital-first world, the course helps executives understand best-in-class technology, including AI. The AI Business School follows the lead of similar instructional guides, such as the AI Transformation Playbook from Andrew Ng, a Chinese American computer scientist counted as one of the most prolific researchers in machine learning and AI.

“This school is a deep dive into how you develop a strategy and identify blockers before they happen in the implementation of AI in your organization,” said Mitra Azizirad, corporate vice president for AI marketing at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington.
 

Complements other AI learning initiatives

The business school complements other AI learning initiatives across Microsoft, including the developer-focused AI School and the Microsoft Professional Program for Artificial Intelligence, which provides job-ready skills and real-world experience to engineers and others looking to improve their skills in AI and data science.

Unlike these other initiatives, AI Business School is non-technical and designed to get executives ready to lead their organizations on a journey of AI transformation, according to Azizirad.
 

Inputs from INSEAD on strategy module

According to the post, INSEAD, a graduate business school with campuses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, partnered with Microsoft to build the AI Business School’s strategy module, which includes case studies about companies across many industries that have successfully transformed their businesses with AI.

For example, a case study on Jabil describes how one of the world’s largest manufacturing solutions providers was able to reduce overhead costs and increase production line quality by using AI to check electronic parts as they are manufactured, freeing up employees to focus on value added activities that machines are unable to do.