An Experience Report of Executive-Level Artificial Intelligence Education in the United Arab Emirates

TL;DR

This paper reports on teaching an AI course to business executives in the UAE, emphasizing practical integration of AI into business processes rather than just technical theory.

Contribution

It introduces a tailored AI curriculum for adult learners in the UAE, focusing on practical application in business contexts.

Findings

Effective engagement of adult learners in AI education.

Insights into teaching AI to non-technical professionals.

Reflections on curriculum design for executive education.

Abstract

Teaching artificial intelligence (AI) is challenging. It is a fast moving field and therefore difficult to keep people updated with the state-of-the-art. Educational offerings for students are ever increasing, beyond university degree programs where AI education traditionally lay. In this paper, we present an experience report of teaching an AI course to business executives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Rather than focusing only on theoretical and technical aspects, we developed a course that teaches AI with a view to enabling students to understand how to incorporate it into existing business processes. We present an overview of our course, curriculum and teaching methods, and we discuss our reflections on teaching adult learners, and to students in the UAE.