AI in the Family Firm

This course is designed exclusively for MBA students who own, govern, or operate family enterprises. It equips them with the strategic frameworks and practical tools to lead responsible AI adoption without compromising what makes their businesses exceptional. Rather than teaching technical AI development, the course focuses on strategic application: how to surface and prioritize use cases, assess organizational and cultural readiness, design low-risk “small t” transformations, build intergenerational buy-in, and scale responsibly through family governance structures. The family business context is central. Unlike corporations constrained by quarterly earnings, family enterprises have unique advantages, long-term vision, agility, and embedded trust networks, that position them to lead in thoughtful AI adoption. Yet they also face unique challenges: generational resistance, emotionally charged decision-making, and fear of eroding tradition. This course provides a roadmap to navigate those tensions, empowering NextGen leaders to gain credibility and empowering senior leaders to steward continuity with innovation. Through applied exercises, family-business–centered cases, and peer-to-peer exchange, students will design a board-ready AI adoption roadmap tailored to their enterprise. By the end of the course, participants will not only understand AI’s strategic implications but will be prepared to mobilize their family businesses to act, protecting their legacy while projecting it into the future.