The business landscape is rapidly transforming, with artificial intelligence no longer a futuristic concept but a present-day competitive necessity. As organizations scramble to integrate AI into their operations, a critical question emerges: who will lead this revolution with both technical understanding and ethical foresight? Enter the Center for AI-EDGE at Rollins College’s Crummer Graduate School of Business, where the next generation of AI-savvy business leaders is being cultivated.

Bridging the AI Leadership Gap

In today’s business environment, the divide between technical AI expertise and executive decision-making capability represents one of the most significant challenges organizations face. The Center for AI-EDGE (Executive Decision-making, Governance, and Execution) positions itself as the solution to this growing gap, offering a unique approach to AI education that focuses specifically on leadership applications.

Unlike purely technical AI programs or traditional business courses that merely touch on emerging technologies, the AI-EDGE Center dedicates itself to the intersection of artificial intelligence and executive leadership. Their mission centers on equipping students and business leaders with practical knowledge for responsibly creating, capturing, and delivering value through AI technologies.

The Tripartite Approach to AI Leadership

What distinguishes the AI-EDGE Center is its focused methodology built around three fundamental pillars:

1. Executive Decision-Making with AI

The center explores how artificial intelligence can address complex executive decision-making challenges. This goes beyond simple automation to examine how AI transforms the decision-making process itself, providing leaders with insights and capabilities previously unattainable through traditional analytical methods.

Students and executives learn to identify which decisions benefit most from AI augmentation and how to interpret and act upon AI-generated recommendations while maintaining human judgment and ethical oversight.

2. AI Governance Frameworks

As AI systems become increasingly autonomous and consequential, governance becomes paramount. The center develops and teaches best practices for AI governance that balance innovation with responsibility.

Participants explore critical questions including:

• How should AI systems be monitored and controlled?
• What transparency requirements should be in place?
• How can organizations ensure their AI applications align with their values and ethical standards?
• What regulatory considerations must be addressed proactively?

3. Strategic AI Execution

Perhaps most importantly, the center guides organizations in practically integrating AI for sustainable competitive advantage. This includes developing implementation roadmaps, managing organizational change, addressing technical infrastructure requirements, and creating measurement frameworks to evaluate AI initiatives.

The focus remains consistently practical: ensuring AI investments translate to tangible business outcomes rather than becoming technological experiments without clear returns.

Comprehensive Programming for AI Leadership Development

The AI-EDGE Center employs multiple learning and engagement pathways:

Educational Programs: The curriculum includes dedicated courses on AI for business innovation and intensive executive boot camps designed to rapidly elevate AI fluency among current business leaders.

Research and Thought Leadership: The center regularly publishes insights on AI trends and applications, contributing valuable perspectives to the ongoing dialogue about AI’s role in business transformation.

Industry Engagement: Through lectures, summits, and regular corporate membership meetings, the center creates opportunities for knowledge exchange between academic experts and industry practitioners facing real-world AI implementation challenges.

Community Outreach: The center extends its impact by building partnerships with local businesses while simultaneously connecting with international AI centers, creating a global network of AI leadership expertise.

RAISE: Student-Led AI Innovation for Impact

A particularly innovative aspect of the center is RAISE (Rollins AI for Social, Economic, and Environmental Impact), an interdisciplinary student organization that unites undergraduate and graduate students across the college. RAISE demonstrates how AI education can transcend business applications to address broader societal challenges.

The organization focuses its projects across three dimensions:

• Social Impact: Developing AI applications for social justice, healthcare accessibility, and educational equity
• Economic Impact: Exploring how AI can drive economic growth while supporting sustainable business practices
• Environmental Impact: Leveraging AI capabilities to address climate change, resource conservation, and environmental monitoring

This student-led initiative exemplifies the center’s commitment to developing not just technically proficient AI users but thoughtful AI leaders who consider the broader implications of technological implementation.

Corporate Partnership Ecosystem

Recognizing that effective AI leadership education requires strong industry connections, the AI-EDGE Center has established a robust corporate partnership program with multiple sponsorship tiers. Current supporters include financial services leader Truist at the Gold level and Pella Corporation and ECS at the Silver level, among others.

These partnerships serve multiple purposes, providing:

• Real-world case studies and challenges for students to address
• Industry expertise to complement academic instruction
• Employment pathways for graduates with AI leadership skills
• Funding to support the center’s research and educational initiatives

An advisory board comprising AI professionals and executives from organizations including Marriott Vacations Worldwide, UltiSim, Schellman, Holland & Knight, Truist, Morgan Creek Capital Management, and Meta provides strategic guidance, ensuring the center’s programs remain aligned with industry needs.

The Future of AI Business Leadership

As artificial intelligence continues its rapid evolution, the need for business leaders who understand both the technical capabilities and strategic implications of AI will only grow. The Center for AI-EDGE represents a forward-thinking approach to this challenge, creating a pipeline of executives prepared to lead organizations through the complexities of AI-driven transformation.

The center’s ambitious strategic objectives include becoming a nationally and internationally recognized destination for applied AI education and research, fostering a vibrant AI community within Central Florida, and developing high-impact educational programs that serve students, executives, and the broader community.

With additional resources like their “AI Across the Campus and Beyond” podcast exploring the real-world impact of AI and regular coverage of AI news and developments, the center serves as a comprehensive knowledge hub for those navigating the intersection of artificial intelligence and business leadership.

How is your organization preparing its leadership for the AI revolution? Are your executives equipped to make strategic decisions about AI implementation, governance, and execution? Share your thoughts on the challenges and opportunities of developing AI-ready business leaders in the comments below.

Footnotes

[1] Center for AI-EDGE at Crummer Graduate School of Business