Last week, I posted an article on our blog called Beyond the Hype: How AI Enhances Learning in Business Simulations. The post focused on how Advantexe uses real AI tools and machine learning to enhance learning in business simulations. In the post, I discussed how our digital business simulations are
Is this a brilliant move by the team for learning, or is this hurting the learning experience by taking a shortcut and diminishing the learner’s ability to think critically and learn through exploration? I thought about this for a while, and the answer isn’t so cut and dry. In this post, I'm going to look at three key aspects of how AI was used in this manner and review the positives and negatives of AI-assisted learning when using business simulations.
1) Speed and Efficiency: AI Provides Instant Analysis
The Positives:
One of the biggest advantages of using AI is speed. We all know there is limited time and many distractions for learning today. With AI, participants can instantly analyze complex simulation data and uncover trends, potential risks, and opportunities that might take longer to identify manually. This can enhance learning, especially for those struggling with data interpretation.
The Negatives:
This speed and efficiency can come at the cost of learning. AI is doing the thinking, and the teams are just pushing buttons. Participants may miss out on the hands-on experience of breaking down the numbers themselves. They are not “figuring things out” or using critical thinking skills, which are really important for the simulation and the real world.
2) AI’s Ability to Identify Patterns and Provide Insights
The Positives:
AI excels at spotting patterns that humans might overlook. By feeding the simulation data into the AI, participants are potentially exposed to new perspectives on strategy, pricing strategies, customer trends, inventory plans, and competitive positioning that they may not have considered or had the time to focus on.
The Negatives:
At this point, I have seen that AI tools lack business context. While they can process numbers and generate insights, they don’t truly understand the system dynamics of the simulation algorithms. Relying on AI’s recommendations can lead to decisions that don’t align with the simulation’s strategic goals or key learning objectives.
3) The Risk of “Gaming” the Simulation
The Positives:
Using AI strategically can enhance learning rather than just “winning” the simulation. If participants use AI to test different scenarios, understand the implications of their decisions, and explore alternative strategies, they can walk away with a richer learning experience.
The Negatives:
There’s a fine line between learning and gaming the system. If participants rely on AI to optimize every decision, they might prioritize “beating the simulation” over genuine learning. This can create a false sense of business acumen, where AI is doing the heavy lifting instead of the participant developing an understanding of how their decisions drive the results.
Summary
AI-powered tools like ChatGPT can be a great supplement to business simulations, but they should be used as learning enhancers, not shortcuts. As I discussed in last week's blog post, the key is balance. Participants should leverage AI to deepen their understanding, but not at the expense of actually learning something.
Rather than focus on, “How do I win?” learners should ask, “What can I learn from this?” to take back on the job to improve my own performance and my company’s results. AI can be a valuable tool in the delivery of learning, but individuals still need to make the commitment to learn. No AI will ever replace that. My advice... Don’t take the easy way out.
Do you think it helps or hurts the learning experience? I would love to hear your thoughts.