UB School of Management recognized for AI leadership in global business education report

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo School of Management has been recognized as an exemplar for its approach to artificial intelligence in a new report examining how leading business schools are integrating AI into teaching, research and operations.

The July 2026 edition of A Framework for Artificial Intelligence in Business Education highlights the UB School of Management for “Infrastructure at Consortium Scale,” citing the school’s ability to leverage UB’s broader AI ecosystem, including Empire AI, New York State’s more than $500 million computing consortium, to advance AI in business education.

Published by Inspire Higher Ed with support from AACSB International, GMAC and the Graduate Business Curriculum Roundtable, the report includes 84 business schools, representing roughly a dozen countries across five continents.

“Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how organizations operate and how leaders make decisions, so business schools have an important responsibility to prepare students to navigate that transformation,” says Ananth Iyer, dean of the UB School of Management. “At UB, our goal is to go beyond simply teaching students how to use AI tools. We want them to understand how to apply AI strategically and responsibly to solve real business problems.”

The report points to the School of Management’s Center for AI Business Innovation, which connects emerging AI technologies with real-world business challenges through workshops, seminars, executive education and student consulting projects.

The school also has designated faculty “AI Champions” across its academic departments and is integrating AI-enhanced teaching throughout its curriculum. In collaboration with UB’s Department of AI and Society, the school is developing AI+X degrees and tracks that combine artificial intelligence with expertise in other disciplines.

AI is increasingly embedded in the school’s research and experiential learning. Faculty are studying such topics as how human-like AI affects consumers, how AI influences investor behavior and financial markets, and how the technology is reshaping retail. School of Management centers focused on supply chain, marketing, finance, leadership and entrepreneurship are incorporating AI into applied projects as well.

In addition, the report highlights the AI Experience at UB, a free, hands-on program that introduces middle- and high-school students to artificial intelligence while exploring issues surrounding responsible and ethical use of the technology.

“Our approach to AI is rooted in what business schools do best, bringing together technology, management expertise and industry engagement,” Iyer says. “By connecting the capabilities available across UB with our faculty expertise and partnerships, we can help develop leaders who are prepared to work with AI and make better decisions about how it should be used.”