As new technologies reshape workplaces and job requirements, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the Haslam College of Business have launched a new institute aimed at helping students and employers prepare for the changes.
The Institute for the Future of Business was born out of the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, as well as advances in nuclear energy and quantum computing. UT launched the institute Oct. 7, coinciding with the inaugural two-day AInnovation Summit focused on AI's impact on business.
Among the institution's goals are expanding research opportunities and incorporating topics such as artificial intelligence into existing courses. With the launch of the institute, students can expect more instruction focused on AI,
including its technical applications, critical thinking and collaborative use in the workplace.
While AI was "the catalyst," Haslam College of Business Dean Stephen Mangum said in a news release the institute "is not centered on a single technology."
“Our mission is to promote understanding of the innovations that are shifting business models and upending workforce expectations," he said, "providing industry and education with technological knowledge paired with distinctly human skills such as creative problem solving and ethical decision making.”
Lindsay Mahony, assistant dean of the business college, told Knox News the institute also will create new opportunities for industry partnerships, with a new industry-based learning and talent director helping connect businesses and the university.
For example, the institute is partnering with Oak Ridge Associated Universities to examine how artificial intelligence is changing work in Tennessee and what those changes could mean for employers, workers and state policy.
"All of this is very integrated. You can't just take an AI class. A business can't just be thinking about quantum," Mahony said. "Those are not the same, but they're both things that will have, are expected to have ... a revolutionary impact on industry and science, as well."
Mahony described the Institute for the Future of Business as the college's "call to action" to help Tennesseans navigate changes in technology, skills and the workforce. She said the goal is for students to graduate prepared for a new era of work.
"Our perspective on all of this is that the changing future, or the future of business, needs to inform the future of business education," she said.
The institute joins eight centers, institutes and labs housed within UT's business college, including the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research and the Global Supply Chain Institute.
Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email: keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: As tech reshapes workplaces, University of Tennessee rethinks education | Exclusive
