UT Haslam Launches Institute for the Future of Business to Tackle AI Shifts

A broader mission than AI alone

According to the college, the institute will bring together corporate leaders, researchers, educators and students to explore the immediate and long-term implications of groundbreaking technologies, with an emphasis on smart and effective human-centered use.

Stephen L. Mangum, Haslam dean and Stokely Foundation Leadership Chair, says the institute was created alongside the college's inaugural AI Innovation Summit, two days of focused collaboration on the business ramifications of AI. The institute, however, takes a wider view and sets up an ongoing structure for collaboration and action.

"While AI was the catalyst, the Institute for the Future of Business is not centered on a single technology," Mangum said. He described the mission as promoting understanding of innovations that are shifting business models and upending workforce expectations, giving industry and education technological knowledge paired with human skills such as creative problem solving and ethical decision-making.

Who the institute is meant to serve

As companies work through questions about investment, productivity, workforce readiness and organizational change, the institute will connect those needs with Haslam faculty, researchers and students. The college lists four groups of stakeholders:

• Business leaders deciding where to invest and how to prepare both today's employees and the next generation's workforce.
• Researchers connecting emerging business challenges and opportunities with relevant scholarship and new research questions.
• Students gaining hands-on experience solving consequential, real-world business problems before graduation.
• Educators exploring how changes in business should shape the future of business education, especially where emerging technology meets workforce preparation.

By bringing these groups together, the institute aims to create opportunities for collaboration and applied research. Students are expected to take part in industry-based projects, while businesses gain access to thought leadership and a deep talent pool, according to the college.

From ideas to practical projects

Lindsay Mahony, Haslam's assistant dean for entrepreneurship and strategic initiatives, said the institute will not only discuss new ideas but also turn them into action. "The Institute for the Future of Business is future-focused and highly practical," Mahony said.

Under the planned model, industry partners will bring real business challenges to Haslam. Those challenges will then become starting points for research questions, classroom projects and further collaboration. Mahony said the institute will build on existing models of industry-based learning to give business leaders ways to engage with faculty experts and students.

Connection to AI Tennessee and the college's profile

The institute complements AI Tennessee, a statewide coalition advancing AI innovation and adoption, and is intended to strengthen the university's and the state's broader efforts in AI and other emerging technologies. A correction to the original release clarified this description of AI Tennessee.

Haslam was founded in 1914. It has more than 11,100 undergraduate, graduate and executive education students, taught by 291 faculty. The college has seven departments, nine undergraduate majors and eight centers, institutes and forums.

Companies interested in partnering with the institute can find more information on its webpage. For employers, the announcement points to a channel for bringing business problems to university researchers and students. For the college, it formalizes an ongoing structure that goes beyond a single summit.