Saint Paul launches AI immersion program for executives, focusing on practical skills and governance

Saint Paul Business School has introduced FIAC, a two-day immersive program that equips CEOs, directors, board members, entrepreneurs, and family business successors with hands-on artificial intelligence tools. The aim is to shift AI from theoretical discussions to practical solutions that address real-world organizational challenges.

The problem the program aims to address

The adoption of generative AI in businesses is outpacing the readiness of senior leaders to manage it effectively. A McKinsey global survey reveals that only 28% of organizations assign direct responsibility for AI governance to the CEO, while a mere 17% delegate this task to the board.

This gap has tangible consequences for performance. McKinsey’s research shows that companies where the CEO personally oversees AI governance outperform those where responsibility is fragmented or absent.

Furthermore, the return on investment in generative AI is concerning. A study by MIT Media Lab estimates that despite corporate spending of $30–40 billion, 95% of organizations fail to measure tangible benefits. The study’s lead author argues that the issue lies not in the quality of AI models but in how companies attempt to use them.

FIAC was created specifically to bridge this gap, based on the principle that only those with hands-on experience in the technology can effectively lead its transformation.

How FIAC works

The program consists of five modules, ranging from strategic vision to implementation:

• Overview for Leaders. Trends, limitations, value creation potential, and strategic implications of AI.
• Mastering Key Tools. Advanced use of platforms such as Claude, Gemini, GPT, Grok, Perplexity, DeepSeek, and Llama, with immediate application to participants’ real-world cases.
• Executive Productivity. Application of AI in decision-making, communication, information analysis, presentations, research, and planning.
• Strategic AI. Use of technology for developing new products, improving processes, driving innovation, and enhancing operational efficiency.
• From Experiment to Scale. Prioritization of use cases, structuring of initiatives, risk assessment, and governance.

Learning by doing, not by watching

The program’s core differentiator is its methodology: there are no demonstrations for an audience. Each executive works hands-on with the tools from start to finish, solving a real business problem and leaving the immersion with a completed solution.

Over the two days, participants use leading generative platforms, including text and image tools such as Leonardo, Ideogram, and Nano Banana. A Harvard Business School experiment with the Boston Consulting Group, which tracked 758 consultants, found that using AI for tasks within its capabilities increased speed by over 25% and quality by over 40%.

The same study warns that in tasks outside AI’s scope, the technology can make professionals faster but less accurate, and arguments produced with its help seem more convincing even when they are incorrect. Knowing when to trust and when to distrust the tool is a key lesson taught by FIAC.

Impact on an executive’s daily routine

The program organizes its benefits into three dimensions of a leader’s daily life. For decision-making, AI supports market analysis, research, and prioritization of options. For communication, it is used in executive presentations, internal communications, and board materials. For planning, it enables the creation and testing of scenarios before allocating resources.

In practice, routine analysis and drafting tasks no longer consume entire days. Executives arrive at meetings with pre-tested scenarios and produce their own materials in the required format.

A less obvious but perhaps more significant benefit is the development of critical judgment. Those who have hands-on experience with the technology can evaluate a use case based on its merits, not on who presents it, distinguishing between a pilot that becomes an operation and one that remains on paper.

Who participates and who leads

FIAC brings together directors, CEOs, C-suite executives, board members, entrepreneurs, and family business successors, all facing similar AI-related decisions. Spaces are limited to ensure peer-to-peer exchange among participants of the same hierarchical level, a key aspect of the in-person experience.

The immersion is led by Adriano Mussa, rector of Saint Paul, a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University and a PhD in Finance from USP, and author of works on artificial intelligence and the future of work. Marcos Sanches, CTO of a major Brazilian media organization, has two decades of experience in digital transformation, having served as a partner and COO of a technology startup and been named IT Executive of the Year in 2018.

The school behind the program

Founded in 1998, Saint Paul has been ranked among the world’s best business schools five times by the Financial Times. In 2024, the institution joined a major Brazilian business and educational group, combining international recognition with the practical application of technology in the operations of one of the country’s largest media companies.

This synergy creates a unique advantage: content developed by a globally renowned business school and delivered by executives who apply AI daily in a major communications company.

AI has already changed the pace of organizations. FIAC proposes that leadership take control of this pace, using technology strategically and consciously.