Over the summer, our successful industry-academia consortium, SAIL, hosted its annual conference on A.I. and the digital transformation of the enterprise. Nearly 100 thought leaders from industry and academia heard from experts, participated in discussions and learned more about the ongoing transition of every business to a digital business.
You’d expect a conference like this to take place at Stevens, where we actively engage with industry so we better understand the impact of the digital revolution. That, in turn, drives our research, and helps us develop curricula that better prepare our students for the digital age. Stevens faculty are active in publishing their insights in machine learning, blockchain and analytics in ways that help managers make better decisions. We’re now trying to do the same for other business schools through the recently created AACSB Digital Transformation Affinity Group.
DTAG is a way for Stevens, and industry, as well as other schools on the forefront of the digital revolution, to better inform curricula and research initiatives at universities around the country. The ultimate goal is to be a resource to schools looking to create programs that promote awareness of digital transformation and its impact in society.
The popular press tends to see digital transformation as the rise of automation, and the displacement of humans at work. That is certainly one thread of the revolution. But at Stevens, our research and education is about finding ways that machines can augment humans, doing the kinds of routine tasks they are skilled at while freeing us to engage higher-level problems and search for innovation. If DTAG is a success, we will change the conversation around A.I. and help prepare more professionals for a very different business environment.
The plan of activities of the group will be presented in the forthcoming deans’ meeting in February 2019. We invite interested deans to join DTAG and participate in our dialog and activities.
Sincerely, Dean Gregory Prastacos
