AI for Business
Unlock transformative potential.
AI for Business Overview
Utilise AI to drive growth, innovation, and a competitive edge.
65% of organisations are already regularly using Generative AI in at least one business function (McKinsey, 2024).
Used wisely, Generative AI has the potential to drive growth, nurture innovation and provide your organisation with a competitive edge.
Led by top educators from Melbourne Business School and the University of Melbourne, develop a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of Generative AI to unlock innovative applications and address the associated risks.
At the completion of the program, you will have your own practical business strategy that outlines how to integrate Generative AI with your broader business goals, ideas for where to invest, and execution plans to ensure its responsible use and long-term value.
Join our two-day program to discover the tools, and technologies to better harness the power of Generative AI in your business.
Who Should Attend the AI for Business Program
Senior Executives and Business Leaders
- Those responsible for driving innovation, strategy, and decision-making within their organisations.
Managers and Decision-Makers
- Managers and decision-makers in any industry and context looking to understand Generative AI’s potential, optimise business processes, and enhance data-driven decision-making within their teams.
AI for Business Key Takeaways
The Possibilities of AI & Generative AI
- Understand the tools, technologies, and opportunities available for innovation and business growth.
Formulate a Business Strategy
- Design your own practical business strategy that integrates AI & Generative AI into your organisation’s broader goals.
- Maximise return on resources and leverage opportunities.
High Impact Use Cases
- Identify high-impact use cases from specific functions (e.g. marketing, HR) and make decisions about where to best deploy Generative AI, relevant to your context.
Lead the Change
- Responsibly accelerate Generative AI adoption by enabling and empowering your people to be part of the transformation.
Responsible AI Use
- Be aware of the ethical considerations.
- Learn how to maintain regulatory compliance.
What is Generative AI?
Generative AI leverages existing artifacts to create new and realistic outputs at scale, including images, videos, music, speech, text, software code, and product designs.
Rapidly emerging as a general-purpose technology, its potential impact could rival that of the steam engine, electricity, and even the internet.
Individuals and enterprises continue to explore innovative applications for this technology - to automate processes, augment human or machine capabilities, and autonomously execute business and IT operations, leading to enhanced customer experiences and improved employee productivity. (Gartner, 2024)
AI for Business Topics Covered
The program provides impactful learning by leveraging participants' unique contexts.
Demystifying Data, Analytics, & Artificial Intelligence
Cracking the Code of AI
Generative AI
Generative AI in Action
RAGs & Fine-tuning
AI Safety & Governance
AI’s Future
Building an AI Strategy
Strengthen Your Organisation's Strategic Capabilities
Melbourne Business School’s short courses help organisations develop executive alignment through consistent and productive behaviours and capabilities.
This leader-led change will empower your team to tackle any future business challenges as a united force. Melbourne Business School’s short courses are designed to build the critical skills necessary for long-term success.
By enrolling small groups in the Generative AI for Business program, your leaders can collaboratively explore transformative AI applications while gaining the insights needed to tackle emerging business challenges in a cohesive and strategic way.
For organisations enrolling multiple participants across our short courses within a 12-month period, tailored group pricing may be available. Talk to us about a customised version of this program tailored to suit your organisation's needs.
For companies to fully realise their AI ambitions, we need leaders who are well-versed in both the transformative opportunities and potential challenges of this fast-evolving technology. This program will not only help provide clarity but also inspire you to unlock its full potential.
YALÇIN AKÇAY
Program Director and Professor of Operations
When leaders go beyond the hype and get under the hood of Generative AI, they’ll be better positioned to protect their business and find sophisticated ways to secure a strategic advantage.
UJWAL KAYANDE
Program Director and Professor of Marketing
AI for Business Facilitators
Yalçın Akçay
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Yalçın is a Professor of Operations Management at Melbourne Business School. He holds a dual-title PhD degree in Business Administration and Operations Research from Pennsylvania State University. Yalçın’s research focuses on revenue management, dynamic pricing, inventory management, retail operations, stochastic modelling of service and manufacturing systems.
Ujwal Kayande
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Ujwal is a Professor at Melbourne Business School. He has a PhD in Quantitative Marketing from the University of Alberta, as well as an MBA and Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Electronics. His research focuses on measurement and understanding market phenomena, including consumer decision making, firm actions, and competitive interactions between firms. He currently serves as an Advisor to consumer goods, data-management, AI companies and start-ups across the globe.
Jeannie Paterson
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Jeannie is a Professor of Law and the Director of the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics at the University of Melbourne. Jeannie’s teaching and research focuses on consumer and data protection law in the context of emerging digital technologies, including issues of fairness, privacy, transparency, security and existential risk in the emergence of AI. Jeannie has a track record of consultation and collaboration with government, industry, regulators and community legal centres, as well as being a regular media commentator.
Institute for Digital Innovation & AI
Melbourne Business School is a national leader in business analytics and AI.
The Institute for Digital Innovation and AI (IDIA) at Melbourne Business School is a national leader in business analytics and AI. IDIA brings together researchers, industry partners, and students to advance data-driven decision making and support organisations in applying analytics and AI for impact.
Learn moreUpcoming Sessions
This is a non-residential program. The program fee covers tuition, learning materials and meals during the workshop.
If you are travelling from interstate or internationally, we recommend participants stay either on-site at Melbourne Business School (based on availability), or we can recommend a variety of partnering hotels who can offer our guests special corporate rates. Please contact us for more information.
Read our full terms and conditions and other frequently asked questions for more information.
2026 Sessions
Program Enquiry
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| Program | Leading Strategically with AI (Online) | Leading Strategically with AI (Face-to-Face Intensive) | AI for Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Senior Executives, Business Leaders, Leadership Teams | Senior Executives, Business Leaders, Managers and Decision Makers | |
| What is it about? | Senior Leaders charged with developing AI strategy | Leaders seeking a practical introduction to AI and Generative AI. | |
| Who is it for? | Senior Leaders, Business Leaders and Leadership teams (sector agnostic) | Leaders at all levels seeking a practical introduction to AI and Generative AI. | |
| Duration | 5 weeks | 3 days (non-residential) | 2 days (non-residential) |
|
Mode (Location) |
Online (Virtual) | In person, Melbourne Business School | In person, Melbourne Business School |
| Program Structure | Weekly 90-minute facilitated sessions over 5 weeks, including pre-program AI diagnostic, practical assessments, Community of Practice access and post-program reconnect. | Three-day intensive program covering all core modules, including pre-program AI diagnostic, Community of Practice access and post-program reconnect. | Two-day immersive short course combining expert facilitation, practical demonstrations, case studies and hands-on exploration of AI tools and applications. |
| Fees 2026 pricing |
AUD$2,950 per person (inc. GST) |
AUD$5,500 per person (inc. GST) |
AUD$3,500 per person (inc. GST) |
| Focus | Enterprise AI strategy, governance, investment decisions and organisational transformation. | Understanding AI, Generative AI and automation to identify opportunities, build business cases and successfully implement AI. | |
| Topics |
AI and Competitive Strategy
AI Strategy and Investment
AI in Action
Governance, Risk and Responsible AI
Leading the AI-Ready Organisation
Portfolio Presentations & Peer Reflection
|
AI fundamentals and business applications
Generative AI and prompt engineering
Automation in the age of AI
AI safety and governance
AI strategy and business case development
AI implementation and adoption
|
|
| Practical Outputs |
AI Posture Diagnostic
AI Use Case Prioritisation Framework
Working AI Prototype
AI Governance Review
AI Strategy Communications Toolkit
|
AI opportunity assessment
Prioritised AI use cases
AI business case
AI strategy and implementation roadmap
|
|
| Learning Experience | Flexible learning with application between sessions. | Immersive executive learning with intensive peer interaction. | Hands-on applied learning focused on AI tools, technologies and business applications. |
| Inclusions |
Organisational AI Diagnostic
Weekly live facilitated sessions
AI-enabled learning tools and exercises
Community of Practice access
Executive Reconnect Session
All program materials
GST
|
Organisational AI Diagnostic
AI-enabled learning tools and exercises
Community of Practice access
Executive Reconnect Session
All program materials
Lunch and refreshments
GST
|
1-month access to AI platform licence
All program materials
Lunch and refreshments
GST
|
| Key Takeaway | Lead enterprise-wide AI transformation with a practical AI strategy portfolio. | Understand AI and Generative AI well enough to identify opportunities, manage risks and create business value. | |
| Dates |
12 Oct – 15 Nov 2026 2027 TBC |
27 – 29 October 2026 2027 TBC |
9–10 September 2026 25–26 November 2026 10–11 March 2027 14–15 April 2027 16–17 June 2027 8–9 September 2027 10–11 November 2027 |
| Enrolment | Leading Strategically with AI | AI for Business | |
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