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A free, flexible program designed for executive and leadership profiles, offering a strategic and practical perspective on artificial intelligence. Through self-paced learning content and live sessions with industry professionals, participants will learn to identify opportunities, make informed decisions, and lead digital transformation initiatives while applying principles of governance, ethics, and regulatory compliance, all supported by the academic excellence of UPF Barcelona School of Management.
Why choose this program?
This program provides executives with practical, rigorous training to understand the impact of artificial intelligence and make better strategic decisions, without requiring prior technical knowledge.
It combines a comprehensive understanding of AI with practical decision-making frameworks covering investment strategies, organisational transformation and risk management, while integrating key aspects of governance, ethics and regulatory compliance throughout the program.
In addition, the program is:
- Free of charge, making high-quality executive education accessible to a broader audience.
- Flexible and self-paced, allowing participants to progress at their own pace while balancing professional commitments.
- Enhanced by live synchronous sessions, where participants can deepen their understanding of the course content and interact directly with industry professionals and subject-matter experts.
- Practice-oriented, providing tools and decision-making frameworks that can be directly applied in both public and private sector organisations.
- Backed by the academic excellence of UPF Barcelona School of Management, an institution committed to excellence, innovation and social impact.
This program is designed to help participants move from understanding artificial intelligence to implementing it strategically and responsibly within their organisations.
Who is it for?
This academic program has been specifically designed for senior executives and organisational leaders with limited technical knowledge but significant strategic responsibility. It provides a practical, non-technical understanding of artificial intelligence, enabling participants to make informed decisions, identify strategic opportunities, and lead AI-driven digital transformation initiatives.
Institutions
This project has received funding from the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 101234399 and Portugal, Romania and Türkiye. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme. It is also co-funded by the Spanish Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service and counts with the support of the Government of Catalonia.
Curriculum
The objective of this Strategic Artificial Intelligence Training program is to equip senior executives and leaders in both public and private organisations with a critical, practical understanding of artificial intelligence, enabling them to make informed decisions, identify strategic opportunities, and lead AI-driven digital transformation initiatives.
Specific Learning Objectives:
- Objective 1: Provide a strategic understanding of AI’s potential by identifying its implications across different industries and organisational contexts
- Objective 2: Strengthen data-driven decision-making and support the development of AI investment strategies by integrating artificial intelligence into the organisation's overall business strategy.
- Objective 3: Enable participants to lead digital transformation initiatives by equipping executive teams with the capabilities required to manage AI-driven technological change.
Download the program timeline.
Understanding what AI is today, its capabilities and limitations, and its implications for leadership and strategic decision-making.
Evaluating evidence, assessing data quality, and understanding the risks and value of data analytics for organisational decision-making.
Prioritising AI use cases, redesigning business processes, and developing new business models powered by artificial intelligence.
Understanding the implications of AI for strategy, marketing, finance, operations, and supply chain management.
Applying the principles of responsible AI, governance frameworks, control mechanisms, and ethical risk management.
Evaluating "build versus buy" decisions, technology integration strategies, and AI vendor management.
Developing organisational capabilities, fostering a culture of AI adoption, and managing people-centred change.
Exploring new competitive advantages and growth models enabled by artificial intelligence.
Identifying opportunities for sustainable development, measuring social impact, and promoting responsible decision-making through AI.
Exploring practical use cases, quality assessment criteria, and applications of generative AI in media, product development, and corporate culture.
Qualification obtained
Upon completion, participants are awarded a verified digital certificate (e-certificate) for the “Microcredential in AI for Leaders”, accredited by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF).
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Methodology
The program follows an "asynchronous-first" learning model complemented by high-value synchronous milestones, specifically designed to accommodate the demanding schedules of senior executives and organisational leaders.
The program consists of 30 hours of learning, divided into 10 modules of 3 hours each. Every module follows a consistent structure to maximise knowledge retention and facilitate practical application. Download the program timeline.
To promote interaction and avoid the sense of isolation often associated with online learning, the program includes several opportunities for direct engagement:
- Six one-hour live online sessions, designed as executive case clinics, dedicated exclusively to discussing real-world dilemmas, analysing strategic trade-offs, and addressing participants' questions gathered through the online forums.
- Two one-hour hybrid sessions, held at the beginning and the end of the program at the UPF Barcelona School of Management campus, while also being accessible online for remote participants.
Throughout the program, participants receive continuous academic support through the eCampus learning platform.
Assessment is based not only on content completion but on a coherent learning pathway supported by auditable evidence of achievement.
Participants are evaluated through:
- Short module quizzes.
- Submission of applied learning activities.
- Continuous monitoring of learning progress through the Learning Management System (LMS).
This approach ensures both academic quality and full auditability for the issuance of the official program certificate.
The program guarantees full pedagogical equivalence across its three languages of delivery: English, Spanish and Catalan. All learning materials—including interactive units, videos, discussion forums and assessments—are terminologically harmonised across the three languages to ensure an identical learning experience for every participant, regardless of the language selected.