AI INTERACTION
doesn’t typically occur when an instructor simply communicates a theory. The very concept of doing something wrong and then reflecting on it contributes greatly to students’ understanding of these frameworks. Some students also engaged directly with the GPT, asking it to explain how it had beaten them or why they had lost. The value they took from such debriefings was palpable in class discussions thereafter. Having previously taught these frameworks to multiple cohorts, I can confidently say that getting students to engage deeply with them – ie beyond definitions and into real-world application – has always been a challenge. The simulations I introduced changed that. Following last year’s launch of ChatGPT Study Mode, it is becoming easier to consider AI as a partner in the learning process and not just a subject of study. To keep pace with these developments, business education must evolve and know that it can no longer rely solely on static cases or theoretical lectures. The modern MBA classroom demands formats that reflect how real-world decisions are made; collaboratively, iteratively and with digital augmentation. To this end, the short‑duration simulations described here have much to offer because they are easy to scale and can be deployed across classrooms and devices. These GPT-powered games are not just teaching tools; they also represent what’s possible when research, pedagogy and technology converge.
GPT was instructed to introduce a dominant design shock in any year between rounds two and six. The student must subsequently choose between two technologies, with the AI chatbot taking the one not selected. Whether or not the GPT followed these guidelines as anticipated was tested multiple times to ensure that potential exceptions were covered, as well as to watch out for and prevent any hallucinations that the GPT might inadvertently introduce.
Enriching class discussions Using these simulations led to a significant rise in the quality of in-class discussions. These centred more around the applicability of frameworks in different scenarios than on questions about the theory itself. They also gave students a structured way to test, break and rebuild theories, with some students playing the simulations multiple times to figure out what they had done wrong in previous iterations. This last outcome was unexpected but helpful, especially when it came to sharing experiences in class conversations and debriefs. Ultimately, students who played the game several times had more insights into how and why they changed or stuck by their decisions. As students explored each scenario, they began to ask: “What if this assumption doesn’t hold?” and “what will happen if a market shock hits?” This precipitates a richness in conversation that
BIOGRAPHY
Anand Nandkumar is an associate professor of strategy at the Indian School of Business (ISB), where he is also executive director of the Srini Raju Centre for IT and the Networked Economy (SRITNE). Previously, Nandkumar was associate dean of ISB’s Centre for Learning and Teaching Excellence
34 Ambition • ISSUE 2 • 2026
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