Barge Design Solutions (an engineering and architecture firm with diverse in-house multidisciplinary practice areas) is collaborating with Vanderbilt University’s Future of Learning and Generative AI Initiative to educate executives on embracing and harnessing this groundbreaking technology in business leadership. And to launch this collaboration, Dr. Jules White, senior advisor to the chancellor for generative AI in education and enterprise solutions and professor of Computer Science at Vanderbilt University, and Bob Higgins, Barge’s CEO and president, worked together to co-create a new course called ‘Generative AI for Leaders,’ which comprehensively addresses essential AI skills tailored for business leaders.
Hosted on Coursera – “Generative AI for Leaders” takes about four hours to complete and offers hands-on experience across various capabilities, including agenda architecting, proposal proficiency, leveraging AI for brainstorming, drafting effective communication, navigating HR dynamics, and executing seamless leadership transitions.
Throughout the course, Dr. White and Higgins offer a deep dive into Generative AI to help leaders understand the underlying principles of this technology and learn how augmented intelligence acts as an ‘Exoskeleton of the Mind’ to enhance cognitive capabilities while boosting productivity. And the course also addresses anxieties and skepticism related to Generative AI to help leaders understand how to integrate the technology into their organizations successfully.
“Generative AI for Leaders” is the first course on Coursera that speaks to an executive audience about Generative AI. So Coursera included this course as part of its new GenAI Academy, which aims to improve executive and foundational literacy worldwide.
This collaboration underscores Vanderbilt University and Barge’s shared commitment to forward-thinking educational approaches and signifies a pioneering step towards advancing Generative AI education in the business realm.
Krishnendu Roy, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor had praised the collaboration as a prime example of academia and industry working together to promote understanding of revolutionary AI technology among leaders in multiple fields and organizations.
Along with the course, both parties are working together to establish a Generative AI Research Collaborative to identify and fund research projects to develop and test novel business opportunities and disruptive business methods involving generative AI. And these are the first of many initiatives from both parties that will aim to deepen the integration of academia and industry, contributing to the ongoing growth and dynamism of the business community in Nashville and beyond.
KEY QUOTES:
“Executive leaders can already see the transformative power and potential of rapidly developing AI systems. This course offers them a deeper understanding of the technology, without getting bogged down in needless complexity. Our goal in developing this new educational series is to help leaders harness the remarkable capabilities of AI to accelerate their strategic and operational objectives.”
— Dr. White
“Generative AI is fundamentally transforming the landscape for business leaders and will unlock efficiencies and opportunities we can’t even imagine yet. Barge is honored to work with a leading-edge institution like Vanderbilt, and we believe this course represents a significant stride in bridging the gap between research and academia, and the business community. This collaboration will help strengthen future business leaders who may dream up the next revolutionary business or technology that changes the world.”
— Bob Higgins, an alumnus of Vanderbilt School of Engineering and the current vice chair of the School of Engineering’s Board of Visitors
“Dr. White is one of the world’s foremost experts in generative AI technology. Working together with Bob Higgins at Barge, they will help leaders solve real-world challenges with a promising technology that is destined to continue growing rapidly in the months and years ahead.”
— Krishnendu Roy
