Chicago Booth
Executive Summary
Chicago Booth launched an Applied AI concentration in July 2025, offering 10+ AI-related courses across all MBA programs. The concentration requires 3 AI-related courses and is available to Full-Time, Evening, and Weekend MBA students. The school operates the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) as a research hub emphasizing the intersection of technical AI understanding with business application and decision science.
Competitive Context: Wharton launched its AI for Business major in April 2025 with 65+ AI courses and 90+ affiliated faculty. Harvard made AI coursework mandatory for all MBA students in 2025. MIT Sloan and Stanford GSB have offered AI and machine learning programs for several years.
1. AI Integration into MBA Curriculum
Applied AI Concentration (Launched July 2025)
One of 16 MBA concentrations requiring 3 AI-related courses. Available to Full-Time, Evening, and Weekend MBA students. STEM Status: MBA/MS in Applied Data Science joint degree qualifies as STEM.
AI Electives
- Building an AI Company (43120) — Product-market fit in AI, scaling AI products, building AI-first companies. Carlos Ganoza.
- Data Science for Marketing Decision Making (37105) — Big data and AI in marketing, demand modeling, CRM, pricing. Giovanni Compiani.
- Data Intelligence (41215) — Machine learning, LLMs, deep learning, text mining, generative AI. Veronika Rockova.
- Bayes, AI, and Deep Learning (41916) — Bayesian methods, neural networks, applications in finance and internet analytics. Nicholas Polson.
- Generative Thinking (32210) — Generative AI overview, foundational technologies, practical applications, ethical/legal challenges. Sanjog Misra.
- AI Essentials (43100) — Core principles of AI/ML, NLP, vision recognition, reinforcement learning, recommender systems. Dacheng Xiu.
- AI for Good (43130) — Responsible AI design and deployment, social impact, ethical considerations. Carlos Ganoza.
- Machine Learning in Finance (35137) — ML/AI in asset pricing, penalized estimation, neural networks, text data, LLMs. Leland Bybee.
- Artificial Intelligence (43110) — Current AI technologies, ML, NLP, computer vision, reinforcement learning, responsible AI. Carlos Ganoza.
- Machine Learning (41204) — Supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement learning; causal inference, transfer learning, AI agents. Christian Hansen.
Joint Degree Programs
MBA/MS in Applied Data Science (Launched December 2023) — 23 courses total (7 quarters); MS Core includes Statistical Models, Machine Learning I & II, Data Engineering Platforms, Time Series Analysis; capstone with real client data; STEM-designated.
MBA/Masters in Computer Science (MPCS) — Software Engineering, High Performance Computing, Data Analytics, Application Development.
2. Career Placement
Employment Data (Class of 2024)
- Tech industry placement: 14.7%
- Median base salary: $175,000
- Median sign-on bonus: $31,000
- Job offer rate: 86.8% within 3 months
- Top tech employers: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, IBM
AI trends: Growing demand for AI-literate MBAs across consulting, finance, healthcare, and tech; students pursuing roles including AI Product Manager, Data Scientist, ML Engineer, and AI Solution Architect.
3. Centers and Labs
Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) (Est. ~2023)
Research hub focused on AI applications in business and society; key initiatives include Nightingale Open Science (160+ TB open medical imaging data used by 50+ countries) and algorithmic bias research.
Roman Family Center for Decision Research
Behavioral science and human decision-making with focus on AI-human interaction and algorithmic decision-making.
James M. Kilts Center for Marketing
AI in marketing research; annual case competition features AI-focused solutions (2024 winner used LLMs for Microsoft product solutions).
Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Transform Accelerator (16-week program for AI/data science startups with ~$325K investment including Google credits); Build Your V1 AI Prototyping Bootcamp for AI entrepreneurs.
4. Key Faculty in AI/ML
Core Faculty (18 Booth + 9 Affiliates)
| Faculty | Primary Focus | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Sanjog Misra (CAAI Director) | ML, deep learning, structural econometrics | Charles H. Kellstadt Distinguished Service Professor |
| Dacheng Xiu | Financial machine learning | Co-author "Financial Machine Learning" (2023) |
| Christian B. Hansen | Model averaging, double ML | "Model Averaging and Double Machine Learning" (2025) |
| Veronika Rockova | Statistical inference, ML | Bruce Lindsay Professor |
| Bradford Levy | AI datasets, NLP | BeanCounter dataset (2024) - low-toxicity business text |
| Leland Bybee | ML in finance | Machine Learning in Finance course |
| Anna Costello | Generative AI in finance | "Uncovering Corporate Risks Using Generative AI" (2023) |
| Alexander Todorov | Facial recognition, AI bias | "Physiognomy in the Age of AI" (2023) |
| Amy Ward | LLM applications | Latent feature mining with LLMs (2024) |
| Sendhil Mullainathan (Distinguished Fellow) | Algorithmic bias, economics | MIT Professor (EECS/Economics); "Human Bias in Algorithm Design" (2023) |
Research Distinction: Booth's AI faculty emphasize behavioral economics and AI bias with notable work on healthcare algorithm bias (Mullainathan), facial recognition discrimination (Todorov), and specialized business AI datasets (Levy's BeanCounter). Strong focus on responsible AI and societal impact distinguishes research portfolio.
5. Partnerships
| Partner | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UCSF UC Berkeley Computational Precision Health | Academic | Joint hosting Nightingale Open Science dataset (Sept 2025) |
| UChicago Data Science Institute | Academic | Joint MBA/MS program, Transform Accelerator partnership |
| Industry | Credits for Transform accelerator startups | |
| PSG Global Solutions | Industry/Research | 5-year collaboration on AI in recruiting research |
| Harper Court Ventures | Funding | $25M deep tech fund for AI startups (June 2025) |
6. AI Programs/Competitions/Clubs
Student Organizations
- Booth Artificial Intelligence Group (AIG) - Full-time MBA; hands-on AI applications, technical limitations, ethical considerations
- AI Club - Part-time MBA (Evening/Weekend); industry expert insights, alumni connections
- Booth Technology Group/Club - Professional network for tech careers
Competitions
- Kilts Center Annual Case Competition - 2024 winner "ReAI Intelligence" used LLMs for Microsoft product solutions ($20K prize)
Entrepreneurship Programs
- Transform Data Science and AI Accelerator - 16-week program, latest cohort 6 startups with ~$325K investment
- Build Your V1 AI Prototyping Bootcamp - 5-session hands-on AI product development for non-technical founders
- New Venture Challenge (NVC) - Multiple tracks including technology/AI
7. Competitive Context
Rankings & Position
- Business school ranking: #3 US News (2024), top M7 school
- AI concentration: Launched July 2025, following Wharton (April 2025) and Harvard (2025)
- Course count: 10+ AI courses vs. Wharton's 65+ AI/analytics courses
- Faculty: 18 core AI faculty + 9 affiliates
Key Strengths
- Research output in AI bias and behavioral economics - Distinguished faculty work on algorithmic fairness and societal impact
- Flexible curriculum structure - Students customize AI learning among 16 concentrations
- Nightingale Open Science initiative - 160+ TB medical imaging data used globally
- Ethics and responsible AI focus - Multiple courses and research initiatives on AI bias, fairness, and societal impact
- Entrepreneurship ecosystem - Established Polsky Center with dedicated AI accelerator and $25M deep tech fund
- Cross-university resources - Access to UChicago Computer Science, Data Science Institute, and national lab collaborations
- Two distinct STEM joint degree pathways - MS-ADS (data science focus) and MPCS (computer science focus)