Kogod School of Business at American University is taking bold strides in business education by implementing an artificial intelligence transformation across its programs. Professor Tommy White exemplifies this shift by adopting the role of "coach" rather than traditional instructor, guiding students through hands-on entrepreneurship experiences with AI at the forefront.

New Course Model: Empowering Innovation

This fall, Professor White revamped his Entrepreneurship Business Plan (MGMT-483) course, now encouraging students to leverage AI extensively in their startup ventures. Instead of restricting digital tools, students use AI for ideation, planning, and execution—mirroring real-world practices adopted by nearly 60 percent of small businesses, according to recent reports from the US Chamber of Commerce.

Fostering Experimentation and Learning

White’s approach addresses concerns about academic integrity and intellectual property in AI usage, placing greater emphasis on student experimentation, resilience, and iterative learning than on predefined academic outcomes. The class is designed not just to test business knowledge but to simulate authentic startup experiences where learning happens through trial, error, and adaptation. That means there remain true, tangible learning objectives for students. And AI is deeply intertwined.

Hands-On AI Mastery

Beyond simple tool exposure, White dedicates extensive time experimenting with advanced platforms like Perplexity AI—which all Kogod students, faculty, and staff have enterprise-level access to—designing custom chatbots that aid students in brainstorming, concept mastery, and prompt engineering—an essential skill for future business leaders. Students engage with these bots throughout the course, developing fluency in both business planning and effective AI interaction.

Student-Centric Evaluation

Course evaluation now measures students based on their resourcefulness, creativity, and willingness to fail and learn, rather than solely on deliverables or grades.