1592: Navigating the Landscape of Generative AI in Business Education (12216)

The release of ChatGPT at the end of 2022 has sparked unprecedented interest in and applications of generative AI tools in business education. Combining the technology acceptance model and the goal orientation framework, we explored the factors influencing students’ perception and application of generative AI tools and their potential consequences in business education. In Study 1 with a sample of 279 business students in a large Master’s program, we found that students who perceived generative AI tools like ChatGPT as useful for their learning and easy to use, and those with strong learning goal orientation and strong avoiding performance goal orientations were more likely to use generative AI in coursework. In Study 2, after students had some time to explore and use generative AI as explicitly encouraged by the course instructor, we found that their perceived ease of use increased over time, but their perceived usefulness did not. Using AI tools in coursework resulted in better-perceived skill development and higher self-reported learning but did not reflect higher grades in the course. In Study 3, we interviewed another 30 graduate business students to understand further their perceptions, adoption, and views on the role of the business school and university in this new AI game. We call for business schools to actively engage their faculty and students in conversations about generative AI in learning to make the best use of this inevitable trend.

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