London Business School redefines business education for the age of AI

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the world of business at a pace few could have imagined. For London Business School, the challenge and the opportunity lies in ensuring its graduates not only adapt to that transformation but lead it.

Speaking on Bloomberg Technology with Ed Ludlow, Sergei Guriev, Dean of London Business School, was clear-eyed about the scale of the change and confident about how LBS is responding.

“The AI revolution is unfolding in front of our eyes, and at an unprecedented, exponential speed,” he said. “AI is now designing new AI models. That means business schools must evolve just as fast; teaching more about AI, teaching with AI, conducting research into it, and using it in how we operate.”

Since taking on the deanship last year, Professor Guriev has overseen a rapid evolution in how LBS approaches artificial intelligence across its programmes and research. The School signed a partnership with OpenAI, giving its community direct access to powerful generative tools through LBS’s own platform. Meanwhile, the School's new Data Science and AI Initiative is fostering cross-disciplinary research, bringing together economists, strategists, and data scientists to explore how AI will reshape business and society.

Students, he said, now need a dual fluency: the capacity to understand what AI can and cannot do, and the critical thinking to judge when to trust its conclusions.

“We still teach the fundamentals, finance, strategy, leadership, but we also teach how to program GPTs, how to use AI to reach insights faster, and how to understand its limits,” Professor Guriev explained. “Whether you’re going into consulting, banking, private equity, or a startup, employers now expect graduates to know how to use AI productively and responsibly.”

Yet for all the technological focus, Guriev insists that business education remains, at its core, a human pursuit.

“We continue to teach in person because communication, collaboration, and the ability to work across cultures remain essential for leaders running global companies,” he said. “AI is powerful—but it can’t replace the judgement, empathy, and creativity that come from working with people face-to-face.”

The rapid rise of AI has inevitably prompted questions about its impact on the job market—and on the careers of MBA graduates. Guriev acknowledged that some roles may change or even disappear, but he believes LBS graduates are positioned to thrive.

“Our students aren’t just performers, they’re conductors,” he said. “AI will make them more productive and more creative, able to orchestrate complex teams and projects. Those who can combine strategic thinking with AI fluency will be in the strongest position to lead the next generation of organisations.”

For London Business School, the age of AI isn’t something to fear, it’s a call to innovate. As Professor Guriev put it, “Our mission has always been to prepare leaders for a changing world. The tools may evolve, but that mission remains the same—only now, it’s more urgent and more exciting than ever.”

To watch the full interview, click here