b'TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIESWhat can I do with AI that I havent been able to do before? he said. Thats the question that businesses can be asking. Its not about reducing the bottom line;Looking Forward its about increasing the top line. What can I offer now that I couldnt before? TRULASKE STRATEGY PILLAR 1Empowering students with AI Transformative TechnologiesIn class, Christiansons students spend several weeks trying out various generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, a virtual assistant trained to follow an instruction in afor Business & Societyprompt and provide a detailed written response.In August, Trulaske welcomed its first director of The caveat was the students had to write a reflection on their use of ChatGPT,transformative technologies for business & society, he said. I wanted them to think about how they used it and how it responded. Drew Reeves. This new position is charged with After learning more about the technology, students wrote an AI use policy for thedeveloping a new center focused on transformative class. They also learned how to develop a machine learning algorithm to classifytechnologies, which will focus on: different objects or images. Additionally, they used AI to assist with writing aIncorporating cutting-edge technology skills into computer code in class and explored AIs integration into websites using Word- the student experience. Press, a web content management system that can be used to support publishing AI meets academia:websites and online stores.Empowering students to lead in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. REVOLUTIONIZING BUSINESSFor entrepreneurs, e-commerce is often an important part of their business,Utilizing advanced technology to empowerChristianson said. So, the students have looked at how to use AI to help buildinnovative research. EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE out websites. Buildingindustrypartnershipsformodern, Students in other business classes have used an AI-generated speech analyzerreal-world insights. to perfect their sales pitches. The tool records the students pitch and then analyzes the speech for various abnormalities, providing immediate feedbackStreamlining daily operations using modern on pronunciation, fluency and other speech traits.and connected technologies. Balancing innovation and caution As part of this pillar of its new strategy, Trulaske will BY SARA DIEDRICH holistically adapt its curriculum to seamlessly inte-There is no question that students graduating from college today will enter aAlthough AI is advancing rapidly, Christianson suggests that there is still a compel- grate digital skills, analytics and AI literacy. workplace on the brink of a technological revolution. The swift progress of arti- ling reason to hold off on widespread adoption until we fully understand the complexities of deploying AI responsibly. Hes also concerned about the possibleWant to get involved?ficial intelligence has captivated the world and raised questions about its impactlack of diversity in the information that is used to train AI. As a result, the outputContact Drew Reeves, director of transformativeon jobs and the future of work.from these systems could be biased towards a certain way of thinking.technologies, at reevesan@missouri.edu. Students at the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business are learning to embraceIt is not clear yet how to build AI into the current workflows for most businesses, emerging technologies, like generative AI, while also honing essential workforcehe said. There may be some ways, but its going to take time. Its like when the skills, such as critical thinking, analytical thinking, resilience, flexibility and life- worldwide web came about. It took a long time before it was a useful tool for long learning.most people.J. Scott ChristiansonThe goal? Prepare technologically proficient students who can confidently navi- To learn more, contact Christianson at christiansonjs@missouri.edu.gate the evolving workplace while understanding the importance of human connections. In J. Scott Christiansons Management 4710 class, students are learning to thinkSTUDENT OFFERS AI-DRIVEN SOLUTION AT INTERNSHIPlike scientists when using AI in the classroom. Christianson encourages hisWe are experimenting with using AI, seeing where it performs well, where it performs poorly and what we can replicate, said Christianson, associate teachingLike most of his peers, Seth Adams washe created a marketing strategy powered by generative AI that students to think of AI as a tool toalready experimenting with genera- would automatically send his email to multiple potential customers. professor and director of the colleges Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. enhance the workplace by using itJust like scientists who replicate their results, businesspeople and entrepreneurstive artificial intelligence by the timeEager to share his idea, Adams presented the AI-powered strategy to off-load formulaic tasks to free upwant to have something that can be reliably replicated. he landed in J. Scott Christiansonsto his supervisor. workers for more human-to-humanEnhancing human expertise with AI Management 4710 class last spring.Turns out, I wasnt the only one with the idea, said Adams, who But the opportunity to learn more contact. Historically, changes in technology have often automated physical tasks, suchabout AI gave Adams, a senior withwas disappointedbut not surprisedthat his idea had already as those performed by factory workers. But AI mimics human brainpower andan emphasis in management, thebeen pitched. I think a lot of people are getting curious about as a result, has raised concerns about white collar automation and the impactconfidence to use the technology athow this technology can help them.on professional and other office jobs.his internship, where he sends multipleAdams was encouraged that his idea aligned with his companys Christianson cautions that immediately cutting bottom-line labor costs can beemails to contact potential customersphilosophy for using generative AI in the workplace. Hes also dangerous when dealing with transformational technology for many reasons.just the type of formulaic task Christianson told students wasgrateful his instructors at Trulaske are giving students opportunities He believes that while many jobs involve tasks that can be assisted by genera- prime for AI assistance.to think critically about emerging technologies like AI.tive AI, its the workers expert judgment, synthesis and analysis that producesSo, I started playing around with it, he said. Most of my friendsI think AI is going to help tremendously with productivity by high-quality output.are already using AI to help them with various tasks. This seemedremoving redundancies and human error, Adams said. The way With that in mind, Christianson encourages his students to think of AI as a tool tolike the perfect opportunity to try it out. to beat the fear about AI is early exposure and understanding so enhance the workplace by using it to off-load formulaic tasks to free up workersFirst, Adams used ChatGPT to help him craft the text of his email.we can adapt and know the risk factors to better prepare us for for more human-to-human contact.Then, with the help of his roommate, a computer science major,the workforce.4 | TRULASKE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS TRULASKE MAGAZINE 2024| 5'