AI Is Teaching the Next Generation of M.B.A.s the Classic Case Study (www.wsj.com)

Northwestern University is retooling the century‑old M.B.A. case method by putting artificial intelligence to work as a teaching tool rather than a shortcut for student assignments. Instead of using AI simply to complete write‑ups faster, instructors are integrating it into the pedagogy to help students dissect real‑world corporate challenges, explore multiple decision paths, and surface overlooked data — effectively expanding the classic exercise of reading reports and debating strategy into an interactive, AI‑augmented learning experience. For the AI/ML community the move highlights concrete classroom applications of generative models and related tooling: large language models can synthesize dense case materials, simulate stakeholder viewpoints, generate plausible counterfactual scenarios, and provide personalized feedback or analytic lenses at scale. That shifts faculty roles from content deliverers to guided facilitators, raises new assessment and integrity questions, and creates opportunities for tooling that emphasizes critical thinking, interpretability and scenario‑driven reasoning — capabilities that will influence how business schools train leaders to use AI in real strategic decision making.