MBA Degree: Future leaders will need AI skills with business acumen, IIM Mumbai director explains why

By Manoj Kumar Tiwari

In recent years, the landscape of higher education in management has witnessed a seismic transformation, driven largely by technological innovation. The integration of cutting-edge tools and platforms has reshaped how management courses are structured, delivered, and assessed. With industries rapidly evolving due to digital disruption, management education is also adapting and aligning itself with the competencies required in tech-intensive sectors such as fintech, health tech, automation, and e-commerce.

Today’s management students are no longer passive recipients of theoretical knowledge; they are expected to be active navigators of digital transformation. Prestigious institutions like IIM Mumbai have redesigned curricula to reflect these shifts.

Electives on Digital Transformation Strategy, Automation & AI in Facility Planning, Digital Supply Chain Twins, and Operations for the Digital Age are now core components of business education. These courses expose students to real-world applications of AI, machine learning, deep learning, blockchain, cloud computing, and advanced data analytics, ensuring that they are equipped not just with knowledge but with industry-relevant skills.

Modern business environments thrive on data-centric strategies. As businesses increasingly rely on data extracted from social media, sensors, CRM platforms, and IoT systems, the ability to interpret and visualize this data becomes critical. Management programs now routinely include tools such as Power BI, Tableau, Python, and digital twin models for hands-on training.

Students are not only taught how to interpret dashboards or KPIs but also how to make strategic decisions based on these insights. These tools are essential in retail, logistics, supply chain, marketing analytics, and financial forecasting, where managers must respond rapidly to market signals. Consequently, students trained in business analytics, predictive modelling, and data storytelling are increasingly sought after across sectors.

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MBA and Generative AI

One of the most revolutionary developments in management education is the use of Generative AI (Gen AI) and Agentic AI. Platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity have become powerful co-pilots in the learning journey. They support students in ideation, business planning, content summarisation, simulation of negotiation strategies, and even writing business cases.

Beyond Gen AI, Agentic AI, which enables autonomous systems to perform complex tasks, has opened new pathways for experiential learning. Students interact with AI agents that simulate dynamic business scenarios: managing inventory shocks, modelling employee attrition, optimizing customer relationships, or responding to supply chain disruptions. These AI agents adjust to inputs, make decisions, and provide feedback, offering a realistic preview of future managerial roles that will increasingly involve human-AI collaboration.

Courses such as Gen AI for Business Decision-Making and Gen AI for Supply Chain Management, now compulsory at institutions like IIM Mumbai, reflect the rapid mainstreaming of these tools.

With the rapid infusion of technology into industries, management graduates are expected to possess domain-specific digital skillsets to remain relevant and competitive. In the fintech sector, skills in blockchain, AI-driven credit scoring, and regulatory technology (RegTech) are crucial. Health tech requires proficiency in electronic health records, AI-assisted diagnostics, and compliance with data privacy laws. In e-commerce and retail, managers must master customer analytics, real-time inventory systems, recommendation engines, and omnichannel strategy.

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Knowledge of digital twins, IoT-based logistics, automation, and predictive maintenance is essential for manufacturing and supply chains. Human resources now demand capabilities in people analytics, sentiment mining, and AI-powered talent management. Python, Power BI, Tableau, and cloud platforms are common across sectors. Management education must equip students with theoretical understanding and hands-on experience in sector-specific applications, preparing them to lead digital transformation initiatives in diverse business environments.

NEP in MBA education

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 plays a transformative role in aligning higher education with the demands of a rapidly evolving digital economy. It encourages flexible, multidisciplinary, and skill-based learning, enabling institutions to integrate emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, and blockchain into management curricula. By introducing the Academic Bank of Credits and a modular credit system, NEP allows students to tailor their learning through electives like AI for Business or Blockchain in Supply Chain.

NEP also promotes online and blended learning, making advanced digital content from platforms like SWAYAM, MOOC, and NPTEL easily accessible. Importantly, NEP fosters an entrepreneurial mindset by supporting incubation cells, innovation hubs, and real-world project-based learning.

This policy framework ensures that management graduates are digitally literate, analytically skilled, and industry-ready, while fostering lifelong learning and adaptability, essential for thriving in technology-driven workplaces across sectors.

The convergence of emerging technologies, domain-specific skillsets, and supportive education policies is driving a new era in management education, one that is agile, analytics-powered, and AI-augmented. Institutions that embrace this transformation, like IIM Mumbai, are setting benchmarks to prepare future-ready managers.

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These graduates are adept at handling today’s operational challenges and equipped to lead and shape tomorrow’s intelligent enterprises. The National Education Policy acts as a catalyst, ensuring that higher education keeps pace with technological innovation and equips students with the agility, analytical thinking, and digital intelligence needed in future industries.

Manoj Kumar Tiwari is the director of IIM Mumbai and professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at IIT Kharagpur.
This piece first appeared in the 200th issue of the Careers360 magazine, published in August 2025