This article was adapted from the May 2026 issue of MIT Sloan’s monthly AI at Work newsletter. Sign up for AI at Work here.
MIT Sloan Executive Education launched its first AI-focused course, “Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy,” in 2017, and it has remained consistently popular ever since.
But nine years ago, executives were looking at the role of AI as part of a larger digital transformation. Today, there is a surge in demand to learn more about AI specifically, from the basics to specific topics such as robotics, implementing AI at scale, and understanding its impact on the workforce.
Each year, more than 20,000 leaders and managers at all levels from a variety of industries attend MIT Sloan Executive Education courses to deepen their knowledge of important topics and connect with MIT experts and industry leaders. it gives He is senior associate dean for executive education at the MIT Sloan School of Management and has unique insight into how leaders are thinking about AI. With 19 years of experience leading executive education, Hurst understands people seeking lifelong learning, their concerns, and the skills they want to learn.
And leaders’ focus is changing, evolving from a basic understanding of AI to how to deploy and scale the technology and manage its impact on the workforce.
“[Demand for AI education] “It shows up at our door as a request: ‘Help us understand AI, help us think about AI, help us implement AI, help us manage its impact and consequences,'” Hurst said, adding, “It’s also every part of that journey, because different companies are at different stages.”
I recently spoke with Hearst about how leaders are thinking about AI.
It’s not technology (only) that will lead the way in the age of AI, it’s human management that matters
A basic understanding of the technology is important, and many executive education courses encourage participants to experiment with AI, including building AI agents. However, as technology changes, leaders do not need to understand AI technology at a deep level. In fact, AI technology can be distracting. The executive course focuses on “organizations, systems, people and the role they all play in the future of each business we work with,” Hurst said. Leaders are learning how to think and understand what’s happening with technology. This helps keep abreast of rapid changes.
When executives come to MIT, “you might be surprised to find that we’re talking all the time about who we are as leaders and what the human side of things we thought was just about technology,” Hurst said. “We’re not training people to be experts at anything in this technology field. We’re trying to help people think, understand, and act.”
AI has changed the relationship between leaders and IT departments
Leaders may not need to know everything about technology, but they need to manage talent that truly understands AI and how to implement it successfully and safely. “What we are trying to create is [executives] We will be able to better inform leaders and consumers about the AI advice and services available to them from their organizations and teams,” said Hurst.
Hurst said that while in the past IT departments often sought to drive digital transformation, senior business leaders are now responsible for driving AI adoption. While technology and IT professionals are still taking classes, non-IT executives are learning how to lead IT departments toward AI adoption.
“IT organizations often resist some of these opportunities and changes because there are so many unknowns,” Hurst says. “The pace of change is fast and there are many real and perceived risks. Are we publishing sensitive data? Are we leaking our ideas? Are we misusing intellectual property without realizing it? [are] Are you going to come back and haunt us again? ”
The weight of these concerns can put IT departments in a difficult situation. Leaders who encourage the use of AI need to be aware of this tension.
It’s a difficult time to be a leader.
Leaders are grappling with a “bewildering onslaught of change” that can be overwhelming, Hurst said. They are asking two big questions. How will AI change the way we think about business? And what will it take to actually drive the use and adoption of AI, rather than reacting to it?
At the heart of these questions are: Organizations and leaders want to be informed when making intentional choices about how they want to move forward with AI and the role of humans and machines in that future.
Executives want to know more about AI
It used to be relatively rare for the most senior executives to attend executive education courses, Hurst said. But these days, people in C-level positions at large companies are taking week-long in-person courses, and the MIT team has also been asked to lead custom courses on AI and its impact on boards and executives.
Hurst said the answer may be partly psychological. AI is such a new and evolving technology that it’s not threatening for people in senior positions to admit they don’t know much about it.
“Many of our faculty are saying that boards and leaders need to understand and know the use cases for AI and the technologies enabled by AI more broadly,” Hurst said. “So the fact that we have a significant number of people from these levels of large organizations participating in our program suggests that they understand it and are trying to do something about it.”
Executive education courses to study:
AI Executive Academy is a two-week program jointly offered by MIT Sloan and MIT Schwarzman College of Computing that examines the business and technical aspects of AI, from machine learning and natural language processing to AI workflows, business strategy, and ethics.
A new course, “Agentic AI: Business Implications and Applications,” helps leaders approach the idea of incorporating AI “teammates” into their organizations.
Strategy, Survival, and Thrive in the Age of Industrial AI provides leaders with guidance on leveraging AI alongside other Industry 4.0 technologies such as digital twins and augmented reality.
Peter Hirst He is the senior associate dean for executive education at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He leads a team of professionals who partner with clients and faculty to design, develop, and deliver innovative and impactful executive education programs for individuals and businesses. He has over 30 years of experience in international strategy, technology consulting, and organizational leadership and development.
