Associate Professor of Technology and Operations, Michael R. and Mary Kay Hallman Fellow
GenAI in Business: Discover the Possibilities
What You'll Learn
- Understand the core capabilities of leading generative AI tools as applied to business and professional settings
- Envision and forecast new business possibilities offered by generative AI in the short and medium-term
- Understand the key technical components of the generative AI technology
Rating
About GenAI in Business: Discover the Possibilities
In this course, you’ll explore the transformative possibilities that generative AI offers to businesses. We begin by examining how generative AI is reshaping industries, automating routine tasks, and driving innovation in customer interactions and strategic insights. Through a detailed real-world case study, you will see how a large, complex business successfully implemented a generative AI solution, turning it into a valuable productivity tool.
This course introduces the "See" phase of the See, Plan, Act framework. This framework is designed to help you explore each step of the implementation process, and learn how to connect generative AI with your own data to transform it from a general tool into a customized solution tailored to your specific business needs.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to identify and evaluate new opportunities where generative AI can create value for your organization, giving you the foundational knowledge to move forward with confidence in your AI strategy. This course helps lay the groundwork for the next phase: planning and executing a successful generative AI implementation in your business.
This is the first course in the “Generative AI in Business,” a course series for business professionals interested in using generative AI to support, enhance, and amplify the work of their organizations.
Skills You'll Gain
- AI Innovation
- Business Process Management
- Generative AI Agents
- Generative Artificial Intelligence
- Generative Model Architectures
- Innovation Management
Welcome Message
Welcome to GenAI in Business: Discover the Possibilities, the first course in the GenAI in Business series. This course introduces the “See” phase of the See–Plan–Act framework, helping you understand what generative AI can do and where it creates business value. You will explore core GenAI capabilities, foundational technologies, and real-world business applications to build intuition for how organizations can effectively leverage these tools.
This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.
Course Schedule
Module 1: Introduction
- Video: Welcome to the Course
- Reading: Course Syllabus
- Reading: Pre-Course Survey
- Video: New Possibilities
- Reading: A Day in the Office
- Video: Day in the Office: Before & After Generative AI
- Reading: What GenAI Do You Use?
- Video: Main Tech Enabler
- Reading: Recapping GenAI Uses
Module 2: GenAI in Action: Maizey Case Study
- Video: Using GenAI to Unlock Value from Your Data: Part 1
- Video: Using GenAI to Unlock Value from Your Data: Part 2
- Video: Using GenAI to Unlock Value from Your Data: Part 3
- Reading: How Maizey Works
Module 3: GenAI Concepts
- Video: What Does "GenAI" Do?
- Video: Why Does GenAI "Generate" So Well?
- Video: How Does the "Generation" Work?
- Reading: Guided Case Study Introduction
- Video: Course Wrap-Up
- Reading: Glossary & Additional Resources
- Reading: End-of-Course Survey
Grading Policy
To pass the course and earn a certificate, learners must earn an overall grade of 80% or higher. The final grade is based on completion of a single graded assignment: “GenAI in the Retail Industry,” worth 100% of the course grade.
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
