A decade ago, an MBA was widely regarded as the defining qualification for aspiring business leaders. Today, a different capability is rapidly moving to the forefront. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforms every major industry from healthcare and finance to manufacturing, scientific research, and public services, employers are increasingly seeking professionals who can combine AI expertise with business judgment and domain knowledge. This raises an important question for higher education: could industry-aligned AI programmes become for the intelligence economy what the MBA became for the management economy?
This shift is already evident in corporate hiring. Companies are investing heavily in AI engineers, computational scientists, data scientists, AI architects, and AI transformation leaders—not as niche technology roles, but as strategic positions embedded across product development, scientific research, operations, customer experience, cybersecurity, and enterprise decision-making.
