Stanford GSB
Executive Summary
Stanford GSB expanded AI course offerings by 80% (20 to 36 courses) from 2024-25 to 2025-26. Key initiatives include student-led AI@GSB program (launched 2025), integration with Stanford HAI, and faculty research in AI economics. Location advantage in Silicon Valley provides direct access to AI ecosystem. Class of 2024 achieved 88% job offer rate, median base salary $185,000, with 22% entering technology. Notable gap: no mandatory AI coursework or formal AI concentration, prompting student concerns about curriculum lag (July 2025).
1. AI Integration into MBA Curriculum
Core Curriculum
- Data and Decisions (OIT 274) — Required course covering probability, sampling, hypothesis testing, regression, and simple ML/prediction models.
Note: No mandatory AI course for MBA students (unlike Harvard's required DSAIL). No formal AI certificate or concentration. Student-led AI@GSB initiative launched 2025. 80% course growth (20 to 36 courses) from 2024-25 to 2025-26.
AI Electives
- Understanding AI Technology for Business Problems (MKTG 321) — Recommender systems, generative AI, LLMs, reinforcement learning; guest speakers from Google DeepMind, Netflix, OpenAI. Yuyan Wang.
- AI and Data Science: Strategy, Management and Entrepreneurship (OIT 351) — First Stanford course on AI/DS strategy; evaluating product ideas, managing DS teams, economics of data companies. Kuang Xu.
- AI²: Artificial Intelligence and Accounting Information — AI applications in accounting and information systems.
- Future of AI in Work: A Lab for Startups — Practical startup-focused AI course.
- AI & Power: Five Big Questions — Theoretical and power dynamics around AI.
- Riding the AI Wave in Developing Economies (STRAMGT 547) — AI-enabled ventures for SMBs in developing economies.
- Startup Garage — Includes AI-powered hackathon kickoff.
- The AI-powered Org: Evolution, Rebirth, or Death? — Organizational transformation through AI.
- AI for Human Flourishing — AI applications for human wellbeing.
- Organizational Analytics — Data-driven organizational decision-making.
- Advanced Optimization and Simulation Modeling — Quantitative methods including ML applications.
2. Career Placement
Class of 2024 Employment Statistics
- 88% job offer rate within 3 months
- Median base salary: $185,000 overall, $187,654 in technology
- 22% entered technology sector (down from 24% in 2023, reflecting industry slowdown)
- 23% launched own ventures after graduating
- 58% of graduates sought employment; 42% pursued entrepreneurship or other paths
Career Management Center reports leveraging AI tools for job search support with increased focus on AI-centered opportunities. Major tech employers (Amazon, Google, Microsoft) reduced MBA hiring targets across all schools.
3. Centers and Labs
| Center/Lab | Year | Focus | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI@GSB — Applied AI Initiative | 2025 | Student-led dean's initiative with Applied AI Scholars, Dean Speaker Series, foundational primers, applied workshops | https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/experience/learning/applied-ai |
| Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI) | Cross-univ | GSB faculty as HAI senior fellows/affiliates; co-directed by Fei-Fei Li (by courtesy at GSB) | https://hai.stanford.edu/ |
| Golub Capital Social Impact Lab | Established | Director: Susan Athey. Uses AI/ML to improve social sector effectiveness; developed Generalized Random Forests (GRF) adopted by Microsoft's EconML | https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/labs-initiatives/sil |
| Stanford Digital Economy Lab | Established | Director: Erik Brynjolfsson. Research on AI economics, productivity, future of work; published "Generative AI at Work" study (2023) | https://digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/ |
| Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL) | 1963 | Now part of Stanford HAI; GSB faculty collaborate on cross-disciplinary research | https://ai.stanford.edu/ |
Research Infrastructure: GSB provides GPU accelerators on Yen Servers for ML research, access to Marlowe (248 Nvidia H100 GPU superpod), Stanford AI Playground platform, AI Supplement Newsletter for faculty/staff/doctoral students.
4. Key Faculty in AI/ML
| Faculty | Primary Focus | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Susan Athey | ML for causal inference, heterogeneous treatment effects, policy learning | 2007 John Bates Clark Medal (first woman); Director, Golub Lab; Founding Associate Director, HAI; former Amazon scholar |
| Erik Brynjolfsson | Economics of AI, productivity, future of work | Director, Digital Economy Lab; 132,618 Google Scholar citations; "Generative AI at Work" study |
| Kuang Xu | AI-driven decision-making, operations research, ML | Co-creator of first Stanford AI Strategy course (OIT 351) |
| Mohsen Bayati | Applied ML in healthcare | Carl and Marilynn Thoma Professor; courtesy appointments in Electrical Engineering, Radiation Oncology; former Amazon Scholar |
| Yuyan Wang | Behavioral insights in AI/ML design, recommender systems | Created GSB's first technical MBA AI course (MKTG 321); 4.9/5 student ratings |
| Fei-Fei Li | Computer vision, AI | Co-Director, Stanford HAI; Sequoia Professor in CS; Professor of OIT (by courtesy) at GSB; currently on partial leave as co-founder/CEO of World Labs |
| Amir Goldberg | AI transformation of organizational culture | Intersection of cultural sociology, data science, organization studies |
Research Distinction: Stanford GSB faculty lead in AI economics research with particular strength in causal inference methods, productivity impacts, and labor market effects. Athey's tools (GRF, CausalTree, PolicyTree) are widely adopted. Brynjolfsson's work on generative AI productivity impacts (15% average increase in call center study with 5,172 workers) is extensively cited. Faculty maintain industry partnerships with Amazon, Microsoft, and major AI companies.
5. Partnerships
| Partner | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Academic | Stanford Venture Studio "Zero to App" workshop series, technical office hours, pilot programs for AI applications |
| Microsoft | Research | Golub Lab's GRF tools integrated into Microsoft's EconML toolkit |
| Amazon | Research | Faculty collaborations (Bayati as Amazon Scholar) |
| HAI Corporate Partners | Research/Industry | Multiple tech company partnerships through HAI for responsible AI development |
| U.S. Department of Justice | Policy/Academic | Co-hosted event on competition policy in AI sector |
| Academic | Google and Stanford HAI Global AI Challenge (launched August 2025) |
Tech companies regularly provide guest speakers for courses (OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Waymo, Grammarly, Langchain, Intuit, Lyft, NFX, Radical Ventures, Groq).
6. AI Programs, Competitions, and Clubs
Student Organizations
- Artificial Intelligence Club (Founded 2021): 15+ events in 2024-25 including panels, fireside chats with industry leaders; January 2026 conference planned
- Stanford AI Club (University-Wide): Projects, reading groups, speaker series, workshops; MBA students participate
Competitions and Showcases
- Stanford Venture Studio Demo Day 2025: 14 teams, majority AI-driven ventures including ClariChart (clinical copilot), Analease (AI real estate workflows), Logical Health (AI health insurance navigation), Regelife (regenerative medicine using ML/biomaterials for ALS), Gaus (AI investor decision-making), Sidekick Robotics (intelligent automation for senior care)
- HAI Startup Series: Bimonthly forum for Stanford-affiliated early-stage AI companies
Programs and Events
- Value Chain Innovation Initiative - AI-Powered Innovation Speaker Series (launched February 2025): Webinars moderated by Haim Mendelson
- AI & Marketing Conference (November 21-22, 2025): Academic and industry practitioners
- Initiative for Investing - Inaugural Conference (January 2026): Stanford GSB Investor Summit focusing on AI's transformative impact on investing
- Quarterly AI Flash Talks: GSB faculty present topical AI research to students
- Botha Chan Innovation Program: Summer program for evaluating startup ideas; many 2025 participants worked on AI-driven projects
7. Competitive Context
Key Strengths
- Location: Silicon Valley proximity provides direct access to AI ecosystem, founders, investors, and regular guest speakers from leading AI companies
- Faculty Research: Notable researchers in AI economics (Athey, Brynjolfsson) with significant academic impact; tools adopted by Microsoft; widely-cited productivity research
- Research Infrastructure: Integration with HAI, SAIL, Digital Economy Lab, Golub Lab; access to 248 Nvidia H100 GPUs
- Student Entrepreneurship: High rate of AI startup formation (23% of Class of 2024 launched ventures; 28% of entrepreneurs in technology)
- Competitive Salaries: $185,000 median base salary; $187,654 in technology sector
- Course Growth: 80% increase in AI courses (20 to 36) from 2024-25 to 2025-26
Competitive Gaps
- No mandatory AI coursework (Harvard requires DSAIL for all MBA students as of 2025)
- No formal AI certificate or concentration (Wharton launched AI for Business major in Fall 2025)
- First-year core curriculum lag in generative AI integration (student concerns reported July 2025 in Poets & Quants)
- Student-led vs. institution-led: AI@GSB is student-led initiative rather than formal academic program
Rankings and Recognition
- Stanford GSB consistently ranked among top 3 MBA programs globally
- 88% job offer rate for Class of 2024
- 80% course expansion in AI demonstrates institutional commitment
8. Sources
- Stanford GSB AI Commitment Announcement
- AI@GSB Initiative
- MKTG 321 Course Site
- OIT 351 Course Site
- Employment Reports
- Golub Capital Social Impact Lab
- Stanford Digital Economy Lab
- Stanford HAI (Human-Centered AI Institute)
- Stanford SAIL (Artificial Intelligence Laboratory)
- Generative AI at Work Study - Erik Brynjolfsson
- GRF: Generalized Random Forests - Susan Athey's research tools
- Microsoft EconML Toolkit
- Stanford Venture Studio
- Value Chain Innovation Initiative