It’s revolutionary and not going anywhere. Here’s how Adelphi faculty members are integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning into their classes to ensure students are prepared for the careers of today and tomorrow.
Students in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business are getting an education in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning that is preparing them to understand and explore the technological tools as they are being applied today, as well as getting a grounding so they can grow with AI in the future.
Hanieh Sardashti, PhD, assistant professor of marketing, noted that such instruction has to start with defining the terms clearly.
“AI refers to the broad goal of enabling machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as reasoning, problem-solving and decision-making,” she said. “Machine learning, a subset of AI, focuses on algorithms and statistical models that allow systems to improve their performance on tasks through experience and data analysis.”
Although AI has been used to enhance specific tasks for years in fields such as security and pricing optimization, today’s generative AI is different because it produces content.
“In my undergraduate marketing classes, I primarily focus on generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Gemini,” Dr. Sardashti said. “These tools have gained significant traction in marketing due to their ability to handle creative, repetitive and relatively low-risk tasks like generating email templates, ad copy for A/B testing or social media content.”
Dr. Sardasti said she has two primary goals: “First, to teach students essential concepts, theories and technical skills, and, second, to demonstrate how these concepts apply in real-world business scenarios.”
In her marketing class final project, creating ad campaigns for website promotion, she encourages students to explore AI tools for video, image and audio generation. “I even developed a custom AI-powered marketing assistant using ChatGPT, which was integrated with the course content,” she said. “Students used it for brainstorming, idea generation and crafting ad copy, fostering what I call a ‘substantive use of AI,’ which is using it not merely as a productivity tool but as a creative collaborator.”
Collaborating With Generative AI
In his course in Advanced Business Analytics, Yifan Xie, PhD, assistant professor of decision sciences and marketing, focuses on fundamental concepts and key algorithms to give students strong AI foundations. In addition, he familiarizes students with such tools and concepts as, in one example, principal component analysis, which is used to identify key patterns in data. He also teaches students how to apply what they are learning to professional demands, particularly as businesses rely more heavily on AI for decision-making, organization and prediction modeling.
“Students with these skills can meet the evolving job market and contribute more,” Dr. Xie said. But, he added, “Understanding the fundamentals of AI and machine learning is just a starting point. I also emphasize to students the importance of lifelong learning.”
Timo M. Partanen, PhD, assistant professor of management, said he works with AI on a couple of levels. “In some of my classes, we are just users of AI,” he explained. “We utilize generative AI tools to develop ideas, communication material, etc. However, in some other classes, for example, in my Technology Management class, we look inside of the AI, what it is, what it can do and how companies are utilizing AI solutions in their business processes.”
The Business of Ethics
A key consideration in education in AI for business is ethics, and it’s vital to the Adelphi approach to the technology.
Dr. Xie noted that students must have an understanding of ethics and the implications of using AI in business so they can address the kind of dilemmas they will confront professionally, such as those involving data privacy and transparency, topics that, he said, “are integral to my classroom.”
Dr. Sardashti said that AI ethics can be a sensitive topic, “especially in fields like marketing, where algorithms influence content creation, advertising strategies and consumer interactions. I emphasize to students that ethical considerations are not just social responsibilities but also foundational to building trustworthy and effective AI systems.”
“Generally speaking, I consider teaching ethics very important,” Dr. Partanen said. However, he explained that every technological advancement throughout history has been questioned regarding its use and impact on society, and he’d prefer to see ethical concerns taught in a general business course in which the principles could be applied to such areas as data algorithms, marketing and finance.
AI as a Partner
AI can enhance productivity and creativity, but students must come to grips with how the tools operate and their limitations. In application, AI tools must get clear instructions that are focused specifically on the task at hand, which means learning effective practices in creating prompts and how to weed out their own human predispositions.
“The combination of human and machine intelligence will do better than either of those alone,” Dr. Partanen said. “An accountant who uses AI tools for auditing will be more effective than an accountant who does not. A marketing manager who uses AI to generate data-driven insights will spend the marketing budget more wisely than a marketing manager who does not use AI. An HR professional who utilizes AI in recruiting can screen more applicants and will be less biased than a colleague who does not.”