Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved beyond the technology sector and become a transformative force across industries. From health care to retail, businesses use AI to enhance efficiency, improve decision-making, and gain a competitive edge.
According to a report by management consulting firm McKinsey, 72 percent of organizations have adopted AI, with half using it in two or more business functions—up from less than a third the prior year.
But how can you harness AI to drive innovation and create value? One of the best ways is by taking an AI course, such as Harvard Business School Online's AI Essentials for Business, to understand how to integrate AI into your role and lead your organization through digital transformation.
If you’re interested in advancing your career through online education, here’s what to expect from AI Essentials for Business.
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DOWNLOAD NOWWhat Is HBS Online’s AI Essentials for Business Certificate Course?
Whether you’re a current or an aspiring business leader, a lifelong learner, or a specialist, AI Essentials for Business can provide the tools to succeed in the digital age.
“There's an opportunity for all of us to really drive change in a way that will shape the trajectory of transformation in a better and most effective way,” says Harvard Business School Professor Marco Iansiti, who co-teaches AI Essentials for Business with HBS Professor Karim Lakhani.
The course touches on topics including:
- The AI factory’s components and outputs
- How to integrate AI into your business processes
- The collision between traditional and AI-powered companies and digital transformation's impacts
- AI’s effect on business strategy and ethical considerations
Beyond its curriculum, the course’s unique features set it apart. Here’s a deep dive into five.
Related: How to Choose the Right AI Course for Your Career Goals
5 Features of HBS Online’s AI Essentials for Business Course
1. Strategic AI Insights from Experts
A cornerstone of the HBS Online experience is learning from industry experts at the forefront of their fields.
In AI Essentials for Business, you’re guided by HBS professors Karim Lakhani and Marco Iansiti, co-authors of the book Competing in the Age of AI, which serves as the course’s foundation.
On top of Lakhani and Iansiti’s deep understanding of how AI reshapes business models and competitive strategies, you learn from industry leaders, including:
- Ant Group Vice President and AI Chief Scientist Dr. Alan Qi
- VideaHealth CEO Florian Hillen
- Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel
- Mozilla CEO and Chairwoman Mitchell Baker
With their insights, you can leave the course ready to lead AI-powered organizations and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
2. Digital Transformation Insights
As businesses across industries increasingly adopt digital strategies, AI has become crucial to optimizing operations, enhancing decision-making, and fostering innovation.
In an episode of The Parlor Room podcast, Jen Stave, launch director of Harvard’s Digital Data Design (D^3) Institute, discusses AI’s growing influence.
“If you look around the world today, we believe that we’re on the precipice of a major transformation,” Stave says. “We go so far as to say it's going to be bigger than the internet, bigger than electricity.”
Listen to the full episode featuring Stave:
By harnessing AI, you can fuel innovation and adapt to the evolving digital landscape.
“If you want to color a picture, AI can do that,” Stave says. “If you want to substitute yourself for a podcast—you have other things to do—you can do that. If you want to apply for a job, AI can write your resume, write your cover letter. If you're in marketing, legal, medical—AI can do that, too. Literally, everything is in scope, which means there’s a lot of experimentation happening right now around the world in every sector.”
According to a survey by consulting firm Gartner, 79 percent of corporate strategists agree that AI and analytics will be critical to their organization’s success over the next two years. A separate survey by PwC found that 73 percent of U.S. companies have already adopted AI in some aspect.
These findings highlight the pressing need to embrace AI to prepare for the digital age.
“I have a strong belief that the future of business is going to be AI-powered,” Lakhani says in a course video. “There’s not one organization, one role, that won’t be touched by AI tools.”
3. Real-World Case Studies
Learning about AI through practical, real-world examples helps you understand its technology and how to use it strategically.
Like all HBS Online courses, AI Essentials for Business incorporates the case method through an interactive learning experience.
“The case method is a pedagogic approach that puts the participant in the center of things,” says HBS Professor Mihir Desai, who teaches the online course Leading with Finance, “and it places that participant in a real-world setting where they don't have all the information, and they don't know what to do, and they have to make a decision.”
Learn more about the case method in this video:
For example, AI Essentials for Business explores how VideaHealth—a dental care startup—uses AI to enhance the diagnostic process by analyzing dental images, such as X-rays, to identify issues like cavities or gum disease with greater precision and accuracy.
“AI, especially in this diagnostic step—but also later in the treatment planning step—can introduce a more objective, data-driven, and consistent approach toward introducing transparency and trust in this marketplace,” says VideaHealth Co-Founder and CEO Florian Hillen in the course.
Throughout the learning experience, you explore AI-driven strategies like this and how to apply them to your organization and industry.
4. Ethical Guidance
With AI's growing influence across sectors, it's critical to understand how to implement it responsibly.
“We need to go back and think about that a little bit because it's becoming very fundamental to a whole new generation of leaders across both small and large firms,” Iansiti says. “The extent to which—as these firms drive this immense scale, scope, and learning—there are all kinds of really important ethical considerations that need to be part of the management, the leadership philosophy from the get-go.”
AI ethical considerations the course covers include:
- Digital amplification
- Algorithmic bias
- Cybersecurity
- Data privacy
- Inclusiveness
You’re encouraged and taught how to balance the need for innovation with the responsibility to ensure AI systems are transparent, equitable, and inclusive.
5. Global Community
You can enhance your learning experience and connect with peers by becoming part of the HBS Online Community.
“The HBS Online Community is a networking platform where you can find like-minded people trying to improve themselves professionally,” says Bogotá Chapter Organizer Rosario Ariza García. “Trying to constantly learn, people open to not only advance in their professions and advance in their knowledge but also help you advance.”
Explore the Community's impact in this video:
With over 30 Chapters to join and explore, the Community provides a space to:
- Give and receive support
- Expose yourself to diverse perspectives
- Collaborate on real-world challenges
- Cultivate lifelong learning
- Build your network
In addition to virtual and in-person events, you can participate in the Community’s discussion boards and messaging features.
According to a recent survey of HBS Online learners who also took another provider’s business program:
- 74 percent said HBS Online was better at making learners feel like part of a global network or business community
- 67 percent said the ability to network with classmates during and after their course was better than other online business courses
- 63 percent said learning from peers was better at HBS Online
This community-driven learning approach cannot only deepen your understanding of complex business concepts like AI but provide practical skills and connections to support your professional development long after the course ends.
Learn How to Leverage AI in Business
In an era when AI is transforming industries, selecting the right AI certificate course is crucial to advancing your career.
By enrolling in AI Essentials for Business, you can develop frameworks to shape your organization’s digital transformation strategy, deliver business value, lead AI initiatives, and prepare for AI’s impact.
Are you interested in taking an AI course? Explore AI Essentials for Business—one of our online digital transformation courses—and download our interactive online learning success guide to discover online programs’ benefits and how to prepare for one.
