From Experimentation to Integration: Tulane's Collaborative Approach to AI in Business Education

Two years ago, Dean Paulo Goes recognized what many business school leaders were observing: students were already experimenting with generative AI tools on their own. Rather than attempting to restrict this use or leaving it unstructured, Dean Goes saw an opportunity to bring intentionality to how AI could enhance learning at Tulane's Freeman School of Business.

This session explores Tulane's journey to integrate AI into business education in ways that prepare students for workplaces where human-AI collaboration is becoming increasingly central to decision-making. The Freeman School's approach wasn't simply about adopting new technology—it represented a thoughtful evolution in pedagogy and institutional practice. Dean Goes shares the real considerations: engaging faculty in exploring AI's potential, expanding from an initial pilot with just over a hundred students across 5 courses to a school-wide implementation across 62 courses, and ensuring that thousands of business students graduate with the AI literacy and collaborative skills that modern organizations require.

Tulane's implementation reflects a partnership model that addresses the full spectrum of institutional needs:

● Microsoft provides enterprise-grade security, identity, and administrative infrastructure, empowering responsible adoption across academic and operational environments.

● BoodleBox delivers the collaborative AI platform where students work alongside AI "teammates" with defined roles—practicing negotiations, analyzing data, and developing business strategies in a transparent environment that supports academic integrity

● NVIDIA supplies the high-performance GPU infrastructure and open-source models (such as Nemotron) that enable this scale, providing the model flexibility and computational power required for effective learning experiences

Tulane's experience offers insights for institutions seeking to balance security with innovation. Attendees will gain a practical understanding of how to move beyond pilot programs to create an AI-integrated learning environment where technology complements human expertise—and where the Freeman School's approach is now informing AI adoption across other parts of the university.