As businesses across Indonesia and Southeast Asia accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), NUS Business School is exploring how the technology can help leaders make better decisions by improving not just the answers they receive, but also the questions they ask.
Since January 2026, the business school has been piloting an AI-enabled approach to management education that places students in simulated business situations. Rather than simply receiving information and proposing solutions, students must determine what they need to know, decide whom to question, evaluate the answers and make recommendations despite uncertainty.
The initiative reflects a broader effort to integrate generative AI into business education while strengthening the human judgement, critical thinking and adaptability needed in an increasingly AI-enabled workplace.
Using AI to Rethink Traditional Case-Based Learning
For more than a century, case-based learning has helped business students develop problem-solving skills by placing them in the position of business leaders facing real-world challenges.
NUS Business School is now exploring how AI can make this approach more dynamic. Its pilot gives students an AI-simulated business problem in which they must actively gather information, question stakeholders and determine how to proceed as the situation unfolds.
The simulation is built on ScholAIstic, a generative AI platform developed by the NUS AI Centre for Educational Technologies (AICET) to support role-playing and simulation-based learning.
Dr Emir Hrnjić, Senior Lecturer in Finance at NUS Business School, has been working with AICET to adapt and refine the platform’s capabilities for management education, developing executive personas to support the business case scenarios.
To date, the tool has been used by nearly 100 MBA and Executive MBA students across Singapore and Jakarta, many of whom are senior executives.
Training Leaders to Ask Better Questions
In the pilot, students interview AI-simulated executives, including a chief executive officer, chief financial officer and chief product and technology officer. Each persona offers a different perspective on the same business situation.
Students must navigate these competing viewpoints, assess the information they receive and reach their own conclusions.
After each interview, they receive personalised feedback on their questioning, allowing them to reflect on their approach and adapt their techniques in subsequent interviews.
Dr Hrnjić said the aim is to help students develop the judgement needed to make decisions without having a complete picture of the situation.
“Students must decide what they need to know, ask the right questions, challenge what they hear and exercise judgement without having the complete picture,” he said. “The aim is not to replace that human instinct with AI, but to sharpen it by helping students become more discerning about what to ask and trust. That is much closer to how leaders make decisions in the real world.”
Early Findings Highlight the Value of Targeted Questions
Early findings from the pilot suggest that effective AI-assisted learning is not about asking more questions, but asking the right ones.
An analysis of interview transcripts found that stronger interviews featured more targeted questions, follow-up enquiries and adjustments as new information emerged. These approaches were more effective than simply working through a prepared list of questions.
The findings highlight the importance of adaptability and critical thinking in business decision-making. Leaders must be able to recognise gaps in their knowledge, challenge assumptions and pursue new lines of enquiry as circumstances change.
By recreating these challenges through AI simulations, NUS Business School aims to give students opportunities to practise these skills in a controlled learning environment.
Expanding AI Applications in Business Education
NUS Business School sees potential for similar AI-simulated tools to be used in other areas of business education where students need to question stakeholders, negotiate competing interests and make decisions under uncertainty.
The ambition is to move beyond the relatively static information environment of traditional case studies towards a more dynamic approach. Students would actively acquire information, investigate emerging issues, challenge assumptions and exercise judgement as a problem develops.
The simulation forms part of the school’s wider efforts to integrate AI into education in ways that enhance rather than replace meaningful learning.
As generative AI becomes more widely used in business, the ability to evaluate information, identify relevant questions and weigh competing perspectives is expected to remain important for leaders navigating complex organisational challenges.
Why AI Judgement Matters for Indonesia and Southeast Asia
Businesses across Asia, including Indonesia, are rapidly adopting AI across their operations. As the technology becomes more embedded in business processes, leaders will increasingly need to assess AI-generated information critically and determine how it should inform their decisions.
For Indonesia, the potential economic implications are significant. A 2020 study by Kearney and EDBI projected that AI could contribute US$366 billion to Indonesia’s gross domestic product by 2030, equivalent to 12% of projected GDP.
Against this backdrop, developing leaders who can work effectively with AI while exercising independent judgement is becoming an important consideration for business education and workforce development.
NUS Business School’s pilot reflects this shift, exploring how AI can be used not merely to generate answers, but to prepare executives to navigate uncertainty, assess information and make better-informed decisions.
About the National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, offering education, research and entrepreneurship opportunities with a global approach and a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise.
The university has 15 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries. It also operates around 15 NUS Overseas Colleges entrepreneurial hubs worldwide.
Through its multidisciplinary and real-world approach, NUS works with industry, governments and academia to address complex issues relevant to Asia and the wider world. Its research spans areas including sustainability, healthcare, financial risk management, artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.
For more information, visit nus.edu.sg.
