AI reveals thought-provoking trends in business education

At the start of 2025, Wilfred Mijnhardt, policy director general at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) was inspired by the trends and patterns published by business school deans in Poets&Quants’ (P&Q) annual predictions. Mijnhardt took the information one step further and not only explored P&Q’s prediction series from 2020 to 2025, but he also used Claude.ai to create one clear report. The editorial team at P&Q invited Mijnhardt to publish his report, in which he consolidated P&Q’s published complex data over five years into one comprehensive report, thereby making that information useful for broader audiences.

“When I discovered that Poets&Quants (P&Q) had maintained this series for five years, I was compelled to analyse the longitudinal trends and emerging patterns across this timeframe.”

- Wilfred Mijnhardt, Policy Director General, RSM.

Strategic predictions from 2020-2025

Claude.ai’s summarised version of P&Q’s predictions from 2020 to 2025 highlights the value of reviewing the deans’ past forecasts while demonstrating AI’s role in spotting new transdisciplinary opportunities for business schools. These insights have provided fresh perspectives that can guide future institutional strategy and development.

Here are some of the highlights:

Quantum social science: The prediction is that quantum theory and social sciences will converge, fostering new frameworks for organisational dynamics and management theories through interdisciplinary collaboration.
Climate finance engineering: A combination of climate science and finance could be used to create solutions for climate challenges, with business schools likely offering specialised degrees and laboratories for innovative risk management.
AI in business education: Identifying trends and thereby fostering interdisciplinary integration, AI could further help institutions to adapt their curricula to equip future leaders with the skills they will need to tackle complex global challenges.

Using AI to evaluate future opportunities

In the near future, business schools could benefit from implementing more frequent AI-supported prediction analyses to evaluate market opportunities systematically. This approach can serve as a dynamic monitoring system for market developments. The enhanced strategic planning capabilities offer exciting possibilities for mapping future institutional directions.

Insights

Mijnhardt has embraced Generative AI as a transformative professional support technology. “I strongly advocate for the responsible and professional integration of AI into our institutional development processes,” tells Mijnhardt. “Developing expertise in effective prompting – the art and science of formulating optimal queries – requires consistent practice to build high-level professional competencies in AI-supported work. I encourage my colleagues at RSM and at other institutions to start leveraging these tools to enhance continued success and development.”

More information

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools. RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam – a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who can become a force for positive change by carrying their innovative mindset into a sustainable future. Our first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes encourage them to become critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinkers and doers. www.rsm.nl

For more information about RSM or this release, please contact Erika Harriford-McLaren, communications manager for RSM, on +31 10 408 2877 or by email at harriford@rsm.nl.