Artificial Intelligence: how Global BBA students at emlyon learn to use it with a critical mindset
In business schools as in companies, artificial intelligence is establishing itself as a new working tool. Within the Global BBA at emlyon business school, the challenge isn't simply learning how to use generative AI, it's about developing a critical and ethical perspective on these technologies. Through prompting courses, hands-on projects, and ethical reflection, students are learning to integrate AI into their work without giving up their capacity for independent thinking.
"Mastering generative AI is good. But knowing what to do with it is better." Martine Ferry, director of the Global BBA program at emlyon business school, sets the tone immediately: artificial intelligence is everywhere. Students have already grown up alongside these technologies. Writing, research, translation, but also personal advice and private conversations, every day they turn to LLMs for both professional and personal matters. The question is no longer whether to use AI, but how to use these tools with discernment, turning them into an asset for navigating increasingly complex international challenges.
Learning to Have a Dialogue With AI
From the very first year of the Global BBA at emlyon business school, students take a module dedicated to generative artificial intelligence and responsible prompting (delivered in partnership with Le Wagon). Over several weeks, they learn to craft effective prompts, analyse the responses produced by AI tools, and identify their limitations.
This training is built around interactive modules combining videos, quizzes and practical exercises. It gives students a behind-the-scenes understanding of the tools they use every day. The aim is also to build a kind of vigilance, learning to spot AI hallucinations, verify sources, and question the potential biases in generated responses.
As their learning progresses, their practice evolves. Take Emma Poirier, a first-year Global BBA student: "In high school, I mostly used it to write or rephrase texts. Now, I tend to use it more to generate ideas or fact-check certain information." In her academic projects, she uses AI as a starting point. "For a prototyping project, for example, I might ask it to generate directions or templates to spark ideas. It lets you get things moving quickly."
Emma uses various tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Mistral, generally in their free versions. But these tools don't replace traditional academic sources. "We're encouraged to verify information and use the databases available through the emlyon library. That lets you go further and work with reliable sources," she explains.
Projects That Put AI to Work
Beyond coursework, AI is integrated directly into the projects students carry out. "For group projects, we put together teams of five students and ask them to treat AI as a sixth member. They then have to justify their choices: which technologies were used, with what prompt, and to what result," explains Martine Ferry. The teaching team aims to make it a tool for reflection and experimentation.
William Racle, also a first-year Global BBA student, worked on a project to create an AI solution designed to support company executives with certain administrative and legal formalities. "Thanks to the prompting courses, we were able to design the whole project. AI helped us search for information and explore ideas, but the analytical work remained ours."
These learnings also play a key role in bridging gaps. "Students come in with very different levels of AI fluency. Some are very comfortable with it, others are discovering it for the first time. By the end of first year, they converge towards a concrete and relevant use," notes Martine Ferry.
Learning to Stay Critical
Throughout the program, students develop analytical skills and strategic thinking through transparent, considered use of AI. Its use is strictly supervised: emlyon business school has a pedagogical innovation centre that oversees the rollout of innovation across programs. A charter has been adopted, and analytical tools scrutinise every submission to ensure AI usage stays below 30%.
Next year, AI proficiency will be integrated into a broader course on decoding and researching information. This module will be an opportunity to return to fundamentals, understanding what information is and learning to recognise “fake news”. Students will take part in the Fresque de l'information, a workshop that raises awareness and puts knowledge into action, as well as a serious game conceived by Vizion Academy that recreates the process of developing a film script and trailer, blending “human” and “artificial” creativity. A rich program designed to consolidate the core competencies of tomorrow's managers.