Urgent Need for AI Ethics in Business Education: Findings from a Literature Review and Future Research Directions

• In Event: Roundtable Session 12
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: The impact and challenges of digital technology and education policies on youth

Proposal

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries and reshaping the global workforce, making it critical for future business leaders to understand and navigate the ethical complexities it introduces. Business schools, as the training grounds for future executives, must urgently incorporate AI ethics education into their curricula to ensure that leaders are prepared to address the ethical challenges posed by AI. This roundtable presentation will focus on the critical need for AI ethics education in business schools, presenting the findings from a literature review and outlining a research plan for addressing these gaps.

AI holds great potential to advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as enhancing public safety, healthcare, environmental sustainability, and economic growth. However, the integration of AI into business also presents ethical concerns, including algorithmic bias, data privacy, accountability, and transparency in decision-making. Future leaders must be equipped to mitigate these risks and ensure that AI is used responsibly and equitably. Yet, current business education is often insufficient in preparing students for these challenges, with AI ethics education still in its early stages.

This presentation will share the results of a literature review examining how business schools currently address AI ethics. It evaluates key policy frameworks as well as various national and international AI strategies. The review highlights both the progress and shortcomings in equipping students with critical competencies such as AI governance, cognitive bias mitigation, data ethics, and fairness in algorithmic decision-making. Additionally, it explores the ethical implications of not fully integrating these topics into the curricula, particularly in light of the rapidly evolving technology landscape.

The literature reveals that while some business schools are taking steps to integrate AI ethics, many face barriers including limited faculty expertise, resource constraints, and a lack of cohesive frameworks for incorporating AI ethics into existing programs. There is an urgent need for transdisciplinary approaches that integrate ethical, ecological, and human-centered values into business education to prepare future leaders for a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world.

In this roundtable, I will present the results of the literature review and my planned research study, which will investigate how business schools can more effectively incorporate AI ethics into their curricula. I will seek input and recommendations from participants to refine the research plan before embarking on empirical data collection. This collaborative discussion aims to gather diverse perspectives on the best ways to approach AI ethics education, ensuring it addresses the technical and ethical needs of future leaders.

Attendees will have the opportunity to contribute to shaping the next phase of this research, which seeks to explore ways to integrate AI ethics into business education.

Authors

• Leda Stawnychko, Mount Royal University

• Mehnaz Rafi, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary