Preparing Students for an AI-Driven Business World: Inside MGT 247’s Classroom Innovation
Assistant Professor of Management Anparasan Mahalingam sees how the future of business is being reshaped in real time by artificial intelligence. Rather than treating that shift as a distant trend to discuss in the abstract, Mahalingam has built it directly into the classroom experience for MGT 247, giving students hands-on practice with the very tools that are transforming corporate strategy, platform governance and digital markets today.
Mahalingam’s research spans corporate strategy, strategic entrepreneurship, platform governance, the scope of the firm, the interface of public policy and strategic management, digital innovation and internet markets, network evolution, empirical market design and organizational economics. That expertise informs a distinctive approach to teaching: one that treats AI not as a novelty, but as a lens for understanding how firms create and capture value in a digital economy and as a skill set students need to shape their own careers.
A Virtual TA, Available Around the Clock
One of the most visible innovations is a custom-built, AI-powered “virtual teaching assistant” that gives students a responsive resource for course questions well beyond office hours. The goal is simple: broaden participation and give every student multiple avenues for developing and applying strategic thinking skills, regardless of when inspiration or confusion strikes. The results from the Spring 2025 pilot speak to the demand for this kind of support, with students posing more than 5,500 questions to the virtual TA over the course of the semester.
Consulting Simulations Powered by AI
Mahalingam has also designed a series of AI-powered case studies that mirror real-world consulting engagements. These exercises push students to analyze strategic trade-offs, work through questions of value creation and capture and practice applying different levers of strategy, all in a simulated environment that closely resembles the challenges they’ll face after graduation.
Building the “AI Co-Pilot” Mindset
With white-collar roles increasingly touched by automation, Mahalingam places particular emphasis on training students to use AI as a co-pilot for efficiency and creativity, not a replacement for their own judgment. The throughline in his teaching is that domain expertise paired with fluent AI use is what will let graduates deliver unique value in a changing job market.
Group Projects on AI and Digital Business Models
Students work in small teams to examine how AI and digital transformation are enabling new monetization strategies across industries. Recent presentations have explored real-world cases such as Duolingo’s introduction of AI-based conversation practice and its implications for the company’s subscription business model.
AI as a Requirement in Case Presentations
Every case team in the course is required to incorporate at least one AI-powered component into its presentation. Students have taken that requirement in creative directions, from generating video content to scripting financial analyses that surface strategic insights to building out competitor intelligence tools.
What’s Next: A Virtual Consulting Interview
Mahalingam is currently developing an AI-driven virtual interview application that will let students practice complex consulting cases through direct interaction with an “AI interviewer.” The tool, still in development, will feature ten distinct case scenarios designed to help students build the case-interview skills that top consulting employers look for.
Taken together, these initiatives reflect a broader philosophy: that preparing students for an AI-shaped economy means giving them direct, repeated experience working alongside AI tools, not just reading about them. Through MGT 247, Professor Mahalingam is giving students a head start on skills that will define their careers long after graduation.