The emergence of generative AI (GenAI) has forced educators across the world to rethink curricula, policies and principles both in and out of the classroom. “Generative AI brings many opportunities, but also a lot of challenges — especially in terms of academic integrity,” said Sherif Kamel ’88, ’90, ’13, dean of AUC’s School of Business. 

As the new semester kicks off, Kamel has pondered how AI will affect teaching and learning, how it will support and challenge research, and how it will change the daily operations of business schools.

“This is a unique moment for business schools to lead the way in rethinking business and management education and explore what is needed to succeed in a fast, changing, innovative, constantly disruptive and interconnected global environment,” he writes in the most recent edition of the NileView.

He forecasts change across the board — from course assessment to faculty recruitment and retention.

“GenAI plug-ins could help create testing material and analyze student performance, identifying strengths and weaknesses and suggesting ways to improve,” he said. “This would support and optimize learning outcomes and motivate students.”

Kamel also noted that AI skills will soon become a “must” across disciplines, including teaching. “Moving forward, universities and higher education institutions, including business schools, will opt to recruit and retain faculty who can embrace technologies such as GenAI and have the knowledge and experience to use them in their teaching methods and research approaches,” he said. 

Teaching faculty, students and staff how to effectively and responsibly use the tools of tomorrow is of utmost importance, according to Kamel. “A lot of work needs to be done that relates to security, privacy and academic integrity,” he said. “Like every other emerging innovative technology, there are ethical and unethical ways to use AI, and the business leaders of tomorrow need to learn this as students today.” 

Looking back, Kamel points out that the AI revolution has been a long time coming. “This has been gradually happening throughout the last 80 years,” he explained. “Many simple tasks we used to do are now done faster and more efficiently by technology.”

Kamel stresses that machines will not replace humans — at least not in the foreseeable future. However, he does believe that the time we spend on certain activities, as well as the nature of work, will absolutely change. 

"I've always said that humans and human capital are society's most important assets,” he said. “People will keep on doing what they do best, which is the thought process, judgment, vision and strategy, versus machines, which will help with data projections and advanced analysis — and this can help us make better decisions.”

With OpenAI’s latest text-generating model GPT-4 released only last March, Kamel believes that we are just beginning to scratch the surface of AI’s potential, placing importance upon upskilling and reskilling to stay current and competitive in “a more advanced, accelerated, technology-driven environment,” he said. “Degrees will still be important, but they must be complemented with lifelong learning through certification, professional development and training, lifelong learning is no longer an option.”

Innovation for Business Schools

Kamel has been appointed vice chair and chair-elect of the board of directors of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the oldest global accrediting body for business schools with the largest network of schools, educators, learners and businesses worldwide.

In his new role, Kamel will lend his years of expertise in advocating for innovation, engagement and impact in business education. He will also serve as the board’s chair for the 2024-2025 academic year, and is now chairing the board’s Innovation Committee.

AUC’s School of Business joined AACSB in 2001 and was first accredited by the association in 2006. “Since then, we’ve been active members — not just of the network as an accredited school, but many of our staff and faculty are active in brainstorming strategy discussions, projects as well as regional and global conferences,” said Kamel.

Striving to keep business and management education current amid an ever-changing landscape is one of AACSB’s cornerstones, Kamel explained, highlighting digital transformation and AI as two major trends at the forefront of discussion. “Additionally, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have become an integral part of the curriculum and activities organized and offered by business schools,” he added.

Business schools should practice what they preach and always strive to innovate and adapt to developments taking place in different global businesses, industries and markets to remain relevant and impactful and shape the future leaders of tomorrow who can make a positive difference to society.

A warm welcome to all our new faculty! With research interests from international policy to visual storytelling, we are thrilled to have incoming faculty this fall who are experts in a range of disciplines. Read more about the wide array of knowledge they bring to AUC, and enjoy hearing a few fun facts – they may surprise you!

From the ancient past to the present, doing business in Egypt has always been an international affair. Today, AUC’s School of Business continues this tradition as part of the CEMS network.

CEMS — the Community of European Management Schools, now known as the Global Alliance in Management Education — is a network of elite business schools and corporations across the world, which cooperate for joint programs and allow students to gain hands-on business experience in foreign countries and companies. 

For six years now, AUC has sent young Egyptian business graduates abroad to study at some of the world’s top universities, and welcomed some 25 foreign students to Cairo to show them how business is done in the Arab world’s largest economy. 

One such student is Angelique Nies, a native of Germany and graduate of the CEMS Master of International Management program at the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen.

When choosing a host school for her CEMS semester abroad, AUC stood out clearly from the rest with its promise of something truly different from already-familiar European business schools. “What was most important for me when choosing my exchange destination for my term abroad was having a unique cultural experience and exploring a new part of the world,” says Nies.

Aside from the change in climate, Nies noticed differences in AUC’s teaching system compared to schools in other countries. The AUC School of Business environment is “much more intimate in comparison to European grad school programs,” she remarks. 

Nies recounts that her class sizes at AUC ranged from just five to nine students, allowing more focused teaching and making professors “much more accessible” than at other schools around the world. “Professors at AUC really care about your personal development and learning journey,” she explains.

AUC faculty, along with students, are just a few of those who make up what Nies found most charming about Egypt: the people. “Every Egyptian I met was extremely welcoming and went out of their way to make me feel at home and share their rich culture with me,” she says.

Hindsight has not changed her opinion. “If I could go back, I would choose AUC all over again!”