Beyond the Tool: Preparing Students for an AI-Driven Career

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the workplace and redefining career readiness. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the workplace and redefining career readiness. As automation replaces many entry-level tasks, skills like critical thinking, discernment and technological proficiency become more essential. At Leeds, faculty are equipping students to become skilled users of AI rather than passive consumers. 

The Leeds AI Initiative, launched in March 2024, ushers this wide-ranging effort. Faculty are integrating AI across operations, research and teaching. AI is embedded throughout the core business curriculum at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. 

“We need to prepare students with the judgment and oversight skills now expected [by employers] at the start of their careers—skills traditionally seen in manager-level positions," said Jeremiah Contreras, Kala and Shiv Khatri Endowed Faculty Scholar and Associate Teaching Professor of Accounting. "Employers are really looking to hire proof, not potential." 

Leeds faculty recognize that technical skills alone are not sufficient for future careers. “Every class should at least consider the implications of AI,” Contreras said. As automation changes business across sectors, Leeds emphasizes experiential learning and hands-on projects to develop the skills required for responsible AI use.

Matthew Brady, Assistant Teaching Professor of Organizational Leadership and Information Analytics, stresses the importance of intentional use of AI for career preparation. In one of his courses, students use a custom AI teaching assistant that directs them to course materials and demonstrates how to use AI as a learning tool rather than simply for answers. 

Brady also supports students in exploring AI globally through AI & Automation for Tomorrow's Societies, an international cohort program with Nagoya University in Japan launched in spring 2026. This collaboration teaches students to understand both the potential and responsibilities of emerging technologies. 

This approach creates a learning environment where students gain perspective and experience in using AI to solve complex problems. "I see students becoming increasingly competent and confident in their use of technology to drive business value,” Brady shared. AI use across sectors varies, but Leeds students are graduating with the skills necessary to advance business as a force for good.

Philanthropic support enables this progress. In Academic year 2025-26, $2,970,721 in philanthropic gifts supported faculty to create new courses, develop teaching tools and create experiential learning opportunities. As AI continues to shape business, philanthropy helps Leeds remain a leader in responsible AI education. This ensures graduates are fluent in developing technologies and have the judgment to use them as a tool paired with their business knowledge.