Strategy in the AI Age NEW
- Requirements
- Suitable for senior leaders responsible for strategic decision-making in an environment where AI is reshaping how firms compete, create value, and organize.
Strategy in the AI Age
Overview
Artificial intelligence is not just another technology wave—it is reshaping how firms create value, compete, and organize. While many organizations experiment with AI tools, far fewer understand how to translate these capabilities into sustainable strategic advantage.
The Strategy in the AI Age program examines the strategic implications of AI for firms, industries, and organizations. Participants will develop a rigorous understanding of where AI creates competitive advantage, how it alters industry structure, and what organizational changes are required to capture its potential. The program combines conceptual frameworks, real-world examples, and hands-on exercises to help leaders identify where AI creates value, how to capture it, and how to lead the organizational changes required to succeed.
The focus is not on tools, but on decisions: where to compete, how to win, and how to organize in an AI-driven environment. While we assume a basic understanding of AI, the program emphasizes practical application over technical instruction. Participants will have the opportunity to experiment directly with AI tools—including hands-on exercises such as “vibe coding”—to generate strategic insights and explore how these technologies can inform real-world decisions.
- of organizations are using AI in at least one business function. [1]
- 88%
- of organizations are strategically prepared but not operationally ready for AI. [2]
- 42%
- of organizations are deeply transforming business models with AI. [3]
- 34%
“Most organizations are using AI tools, but very few have a coherent AI strategy. Our goal is to give leaders the frameworks and hands-on experience needed to turn AI from a set of experiments into a source of real competitive advantage.”
Stephan Meier, Jerry Kim, and Dan Wang
Faculty Co-DirectorsParticipant Profile
This program is designed for senior leaders responsible for strategic decision-making in an environment where AI is reshaping how firms compete, create value, and organize. It is intended for those who are not just exploring AI, but also determining where it matters and how it should influence the business's direction.
Participants are typically accountable for enterprise or business unit strategy, major investment decisions, or transformation initiatives. While roles and industries vary, they share a common challenge: translating the potential of AI into clear strategic choices and organizational action. Participants typically include:
- Senior Executives and Business Leaders: C-suite executives, general managers, and business unit leaders responsible for defining where to compete, how to win, and how to position their organization in an AI-influenced market.
- Strategy and Corporate Development Leaders: Executives leading strategic planning, innovation, or corporate development efforts who need to assess where AI creates advantage, how it reshapes industry structure, and how to prioritize investments.
- Digital, Data, and Transformation Leaders: Senior leaders responsible for AI, data, or digital initiatives who want to move beyond implementation and play a more active role in shaping enterprise-wide strategy.
- HR and Organizational Leaders Supporting Transformation: HR executives and people leaders partnering with senior leadership to navigate workforce, culture, and operating model changes required for AI adoption.
Participants should have a foundational understanding of AI concepts, but do not need a technical background. The program is designed for decision-makers, not developers. This program is not intended for those seeking technical training in AI tools or coding.
Key Benefits
With Columbia Business School’s Strategy in the AI Age executive education program, participants will:
- Understand how AI is changing the logic of strategy
Move beyond surface-level applications to examine how AI reshapes value creation, competitive advantage, and industry structure. - Identify where AI creates advantage—and where it does not
Distinguish between high-impact opportunities and areas where AI is unlikely to deliver meaningful returns, across your value chain and business model. - Make better strategic choices under uncertainty
Evaluate when to transform, when to adapt, and when to wait—across build, buy, and partner decisions in a rapidly evolving landscape. - Rethink how your organization makes decisions
Understand how AI changes decision rights, coordination, and the role of management—and what this means for structure, governance, and control. - Lead the organizational changes required for AI adoption
Address the human side of AI, including trust, incentives, and behavior, to ensure adoption translates into real performance gains. - Translate insight into a clear strategic direction
Develop an evidence-based AI strategy tailored to your organization, with a clearer view of where to focus and how to move forward.
Program Content
This program prepares executives to lead with clarity and conviction in the AI age. Through a focused set of sessions, participants gain the frameworks to navigate disruption, shape organizational strategy, and drive enterprise-wide transformation.
Designed to build enduring strategic capability, the program equips leaders to anticipate shifts, align resources, and translate AI’s potential into sustained competitive advantage.
Revisit the fundamentals of strategy through the lens of AI. Examine how AI differs from prior waves of digital transformation and why it changes the logic of value creation, competition, and advantage.
Faculty
“AI is not just changing how we work—it is changing the fundamentals of strategy. This program helps leaders move beyond experimentation to making deliberate, high-stakes strategic choices about where to compete and how to win.”
Stephan Meier, Jerry Kim, and Dan Wang
Faculty Co-Directors
Stephan Meier
James P. Gorman Professor of Business
Chair of Management Division
Jerry Kim
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Business Management Division
Dan Wang
Lambert Family Professor of Social Enterprise in the Faculty of Business
Co-Director of the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change
FAQ
Certification
I’m interested in the Certificate in Business Excellence (CIBE), how do I get started?
At Columbia Business School Executive Education, you’ll be able to customize a unique learning experience by selecting programs that best interest you and are most suited for your needs. Any completed program, regardless of format (live online, in-person, or online), will count towards the Certificate in Business Excellence.
Which programs qualify for the CIBE?
Any completed executive education program, regardless of format (live-online, in-person, or online), will count towards the Certificate in Business Excellence. Partner programs will also count towards the certificate.
What programs are considered partner programs?
Executive education programs developed and administered with our educational partners, bring the best of our combined knowledge, thought leadership, resources, and expertise. Kindly find a list of our partners here on our partnership page.
What are the costs of the certificate?
There’s no set cost associated with the certificate path since you’re able to customize your learning journey with in-person and online programs (price will vary depending on the program type and length).
Are there any tuition assistance or scholarships?
At Columbia Business School Executive Education, we offer non-degree and non-credit-based professional development programs to the global business community. As our programs are non-degree and non-credit, they do not qualify for financial aid.
How are CIBE credits determined?
Credits for a program are determined by the program duration and total learning hours.
Where do I find information on the credit value for a program?
You will find this information on each program page. Credits range from 0.5 credits – 26 credits per program.
How do I get enrolled in the CIBE?
Your certificate journey will start with your first program, and you have 4 years to complete your CIBE. You may register for any of our executive education programs on each program page. You may enroll using the “View My Application Cart” button, and the application process should take 5-10 minutes.
How do I receive credits?
You are required to fully attend a program and complete all necessary coursework in order to receive CIBE credits. Credits are only awarded after you complete a program.
How do I check the status of my Certificate completion?
Kindly reach out to a Learning Solutions representative for any questions on the status of your CIBE credit count.
Do CIBE credits expire?
Credits are only valid for four years. If you have not completed your CIBE within four years, we will only count non-expired credits towards your CIBE credit total.
Does the Certificate in Business Excellence expire?
Your Certificate in Business Excellence does not expire. Once you become a certificate recipient, you will join the greater alumni community at Columbia Business School.
I’ve reached 18 CIBE credits, what’s next?
Congratulations! You should receive a digital copy of your certificate at the end of your program. If you do not receive a copy from your program manager, kindly contact your Learning Solutions representative or your program manager for next steps.
Will I receive a physical certificate?
Upon completion, you will receive a secure, digital certificate through Accredible. Within the platform you will have the option to print your credential, post it to your LinkedIn feed, or display it on your profile as a certification. Please contact your program manager for the status of your digital certificate.
How do I get access to my alumni benefits?
Once you complete your CIBE, we kindly ask for your patience as we process your alumni credentials. The processing time can take anywhere from 8 to 10 weeks long.
Can I add the Certificate in Business Excellence to LinkedIn?
Yes! We will provide you with instructions on how to add your certificate to your LinkedIn profile after you become a Certificate recipient.
Preferred Pricing and Tuition Benefits for Alumni
Are there preferred pricing options available?
Yes, preferred pricing is available for groups of two or more. To inquire, email execed@gsb.columbia.edu.
As a Columbia Business School alumni am I eligible for tuition benefit?
When you earn a Certificate in Business Excellence you will receive a 25 percent tuition benefit for full-price Executive Education in-person programs lasting three and four days and all full-price online programs. Exclusions apply**
Assignments
Will there be any homework or assignments?
For select programs, there will be some assignments to complete after the end of select program sessions. Assignments will typically consist of readings, self-reflections, and brief assessments. This approach is designed to help you practice your learnings.
How long will assignments take?
We do not expect that homework assignments will take up a large amount of time to complete.
Will there be any examinations or grades?
There will be no examinations or grades for our live online programs.
All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of Columbia Business School Executive Education.
All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of Columbia Business School Executive Education.
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