COLUMBIA, Mo. – “Businesses that do not consider using AI will fall behind those that do. Businesses without an AI approach will become less and less competitive.” This was the message from Chi-Ren Shyu, director of the University of Missouri MU Institute for Data Science and Informatics.

Shyu was speaking with business owners and organization leaders at an AI for Leadership training session in March. The institute, in partnership with the MU Career Accelerator, part of MU Extension, offers training sessions for business and organization leaders on using AI effectively in their work.

With the introduction of ChatGPT and similar tools, business leaders are becoming more receptive to using artificial intelligence.

“Reports that used to require five or six people working together to compile data, to analyze it, and to interpret its meaning can now be done by one person using artificial intelligence software,” Shyu said.

The training session introduced organizational leaders to AI and its many uses, helping participants better understand how to implement AI in their workplace.

Sean Mooney, senior human resources database and analytics specialist with MU Health Care, said AI has become a regular part of strategic discussions taking place at his job.

“As I researched some of the vendors selling AI tools, I kept running into black boxes where, due to a mix of proprietary and technological reasons, these vendors could not share the logic used in their model,” Mooney said. “How could I trust that their solution was right for my use case?”

Mooney said he found the March training a demystifying experience. A panel of experts discussed how they successfully integrated AI into their organizations. The training provided case studies for real-world AI applications.

“They really peeled back the onion layers on AI and provided a window into the methodologies and logic used within the various models,” Mooney said. “I work in health care, where the tolerance risk is extremely low. It’s not a big deal if Netflix AI suggests a movie you hate, but it is a nonstarter for an AI to misinterpret an MRI scan.”

More AI trainings will be available this fall through the MU Career Accelerator. The next training will be an online workshop on how to effectively use common AI tools.