LSE heads the new AI Management course
LSE has recently launched a sector-leading master’s module focusing on the business and societal implications of artificial intelligence (AI).
In contrast to existing courses on AI that focus on technology design, data and algorithms, this new AI Management course, run by the Department of Management, seeks to educate students on how to understand artificial intelligence from different perspectives and manage it for a better future.
“There are currently two camps when it comes to AI”, explains Dr Aaron Cheng who is the course convenor. “There are the technology advocates who portray a utopian view of AI as freeing humans of work and increasing their capabilities and there are the technology pessimists who draw a dystopian view of technology as degrading humanity and replacing all humans in the workplace. This course explores if there can be a middle view where we keep sober on the AI hype but understand how AI can be managed for the benefit of humanity.”
The course, which ran for the first time in spring 2023, is available primarily for students on the MSc in Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation (MISDI) programme. It is also open to other programmes at LSE and exchange students in other institutions.
As part of the course, students explore topics including AI’s role in business and how it can be embedded across all areas of an organisation, AI and human judgment and AI in society. Seminar sessions focus on real-life examples of AI in practice with business case studies including the development and use of AI by Tik Tok, Vodafone and a healthcare start-up.
Students are also required to work on a group project where they design a socially responsible AI strategy for an organisation in the private or public sector. Not only are they required to think about the roles of data and algorithms in their AI solutions but they are encouraged to think about the ethical implications and legal requirements involved.
Dr Cheng, who runs the course in collaboration with colleague Dr Antti Lyyra, designed the course in response to student demand.
Master’s student Aleksandar Kliukin feels the course has come at the perfect time. “Previously, when you thought about AI you probably had associations with computer science but now AI is so broadly available and simple to interact with, new domains of knowledge have emerged around it. This course was right on time.
“I want to have the competencies to deal with AI not as computer scientist, mathematician, or data scientist but as a person who is a stakeholder in the process where AI might be implemented. Having this knowledge and gaining these competencies is really valuable,” he says.
Aleksandar believes the growth of AI will have a massive impact on all our lives. “The emergence of this technology changes our perspective on how we interact with our world, with our lives and with each other. It’s something we need to adapt to. I do believe it’s not just about the development of a technology but also the development of a society.”
Fellow student Janet Lau agrees. “AI is the next train to our future. If you don’t get on this train, you’ll be left behind. It’s not just country-wide, it’s human-wide,” she says. However, she also believes humans will remain in control. “It is not AI in the driver’s seat, humans are always in the driver’s seat. You must know your vehicle well enough to drive it well and effectively. AI can sound quite frightening, especially for those who don’t know how to use the tools to augment the working process but after doing this course I understand more about the niche of humans and why we won’t be replaced completely.”
Master’s student Vallia Stafilaraki would highly recommend the course to anyone thinking about signing up. “Don’t worry about needing any prerequisites,” she advises. “The course starts from the beginning with the very basics about AI. Every week that gets narrowed down and we end up on the future of AI. The course is also very helpful for presentation skills due to the group project we are required to present on weekly. To anyone thinking about the course, I’d say go for it, 100 per cent.”