KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has launched a new institute aimed at helping businesses and students adapt to rapidly changing technology, including artificial intelligence and its growing influence on the workplace.
The Institute for the Future of Business, housed within UT’s Haslam College of Business, will bring together corporate executives, researchers, educators and students to examine how emerging technologies are transforming business operations, workforce expectations and higher education.
University officials say the institute will connect academic research with real-world business challenges while helping students build the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to succeed in an evolving economy.
The initiative follows the college’s inaugural AInnovation Summit, a two-day event focused on the business implications of artificial intelligence. However, university leaders emphasized that the new institute will address a broader range of technological developments beyond AI.
“While AI was the catalyst, the Institute for the Future of Business is not centered on a single technology,” said Stephen L. Mangum, dean of the Haslam College of Business. “Our mission is to promote understanding of the innovations that are shifting business models and upending workforce expectations, providing industry and education with technological knowledge paired with distinctly human skills such as creative problem solving and ethical decision-making.”
The institute will provide opportunities for businesses to collaborate with university faculty and students on challenges involving technology investments, productivity, workforce development and organizational changes.
Students will have opportunities to participate in industry-based projects that provide hands-on experience addressing business problems before graduation. Researchers will work with corporate partners to identify emerging challenges and develop practical solutions.
The initiative will also help educators evaluate how business curricula should evolve to reflect changes in technology and employer expectations.
Lindsay Mahony, assistant dean for entrepreneurship and strategic initiatives at the Haslam College of Business, said the institute is designed to produce practical results rather than simply facilitate discussions about emerging technology.
“The Institute for the Future of Business is future focused and highly practical,” Mahony said. “Our industry partners will bring real business challenges to Haslam [College of Business], and those challenges will become launchpads for research questions, classroom projects and new opportunities for collaboration.”
The institute will operate separately from AI Tennessee, UT’s interdisciplinary artificial intelligence research initiative, while complementing the university’s broader efforts to expand research and innovation involving emerging technologies.
University officials say the institute also supports Tennessee’s efforts to strengthen its position in technological innovation and workforce development.
Founded in 1914, UT’s Haslam College of Business serves more than 11,100 students across undergraduate, graduate and executive education programs. The college has 291 faculty members and offers programs through seven academic departments.
Businesses and organizations interested in collaborating with the new institute can find additional information on the University of Tennessee’s website.
