Can we build more sustainable data centers? How is autonomous medical coding revolutionizing the health care industry?
These were just some of the questions posed during AI Day at the Wisconsin School of Business. The day was designed to showcase disruptive artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI use cases across different areas of business—supply chain, marketing, operations—and industry types, including health care, professional sports, and retailing.
The inaugural event highlighted AI’s broad impact, featuring insights from industry leaders, alumni partners, and faculty. Tailored for WSB graduate students but also open to faculty and staff, AI Day attracted 175 MBA and master’s students and more than 50 faculty and staff members.
“AI Day gave our students the opportunity to explore a wide range of AI applications, from innovative local startups like EnsoData and Olli Health in health care to industry leaders like Salesforce and Google,” says Neeraj Arora, Arthur C. Nielsen, Jr. Chair in Marketing Research and Education and the academic executive director of WSB’s Marketing Leadership Institute. “Our WSB community found the presentations and discussions insightful and thought-provoking.”
The day’s lineup featured sessions on Deloitte’s approach to Generative AI (GenAI), Epic’s use of AI in health care delivery, how the Philadelphia Phillies are enhancing the fan experience through AI, and more. Throughout the talks, speakers discussed how this technology can empower—not replace—work performed by humans.
“You don’t ignore the human experience,” said presenter Chris Smith, managing director with Deloitte Consulting, who shared some of the company’s client engagement examples and use cases in relation to GenAI and supply chain optimization. “You have to involve the customer, the person at the end of the rainbow that’s going to get the benefit. They are the one that has to tell you, ‘Is this working for me? Is this actually valuable?’”
Joe Crombie, full-time MBA and master’s programs director, says he was pleased with how the day turned out.
“It was exciting to see the students engaged with the content, and it was great for them to get exposure to various industries,” says Crombie. “The variety of speakers we had at the event demonstrates how well connected the staff and faculty here at the business school are to industry leaders. I’m really looking forward to running this event in the future.”
Expanding WSB’s AI ecosystem
AI Day is a clear demonstration of how WSB continues to invest in AI across teaching, learning, and research to stay ahead of its rapid evolution. In a session at the event, WSB faculty members Katie Gaertner, Emily Griffith, and Florence Honoré discussed how the school is integrating AI and how they are using AI in their own work.
In the classroom, faculty are “encouraging their students to experiment with AI tools,” Gaertner shared. “You will not find AI tools being forbidden in very many classes at the business school because we understand that this is a transformative opportunity, and our students need to be familiar with this technology and they need to have encountered it before they enter the workforce.”
Griffith spoke to the audience about her accounting research on the human-AI interface in auditing, while Honoré shared her work on AI in relation to free-range startups, market scope, and academic founders.
In addition, as part of RISE-AI, the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s human-centered AI initiative, WSB will welcome new faculty with AI research expertise this fall; plans to fill additional positions are underway.
Kyeongbin Kim, joining as an assistant professor of marketing, specializes in data-centric AI and privacy. Jong Sig (SIK) Chung, joining as an assistant professor of management and human resources, studies the impact of algorithms on social interactions. Yu Ma, joining as an assistant professor of operations and information management, applies AI to health care operations and policy.
WSB also welcomed Matt Seitz as the school’s first AI Hub Director, bringing over 13 years of experience from Google.
For more on AI research, events, and initiatives at the Wisconsin School of Business, visit AI@WSB.