An 8-hour elective that challenges students to think about AI beyond the usual efficiency narrative. The seminar starts with foundational concepts—GenAI, Large Language Models, Reasoning Models, and AI Agents—but quickly moves to the strategic question: How can AI drive new business models and top-line growth, not just cost savings?

A central theme is the "efficiency trap," exploring why so many corporate AI projects fail to deliver real impact. Students analyze international best practices, with a strong focus on Chinese companies that have embedded AI into their core business logic—Ping An's automated claims processing, Tmall's AI-powered co-creation, Alibaba.com's supply chain optimization, and SHEIN's real-time fashion flywheel as a fully AI-driven business model.

The hands-on component includes working directly with tools like ChatGPT and Claude, mastering professional prompting techniques, and developing a critical perspective on hallucinations, AI bias, and the alignment problem. The seminar closes with transfer workshops where students apply what they've learned to concrete business contexts.