


AI Fundamentals for Leadership
BUSA-41032
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, understanding the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is essential for effective leadership and decision-making.
This course is designed to provide individuals in or aspiring to be in mangement and leadership roles with a comprehensive overview of AI technologies, applications, and strategic implications within organizations.
Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of AI concepts, terminology, and applications relevant to managerial decision-making.
What you'll learn
- Strategic Application: Learn to identify and leverage AI opportunities within various business functions to drive innovation and competitive advantage.
- Understand the ethical implications of AI technologies and adopt best practices for ensuring responsible development, deployment, and use of AI systems.
- These outcomes provide a solid foundation for managers to understand, apply, and lead AI initiatives within their organizations.
Course Information
Course sessions
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
All course materials are included unless otherwise stated.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 8/15/2025
Schedule:
Instructor:
Bhargavi Vijayakumar

My journey, which has taken me from corporate boardrooms to the heart of startup ecosystems, uniquely positions me to blend my finance acumen for firms of different stages and sizes. I excel at the crossroads of finance and innovation, providing essential support to early-stage companies. My expertise spans sectors like Automotive, Healthcare, Deeptech, D2C, and Climate-tech.
Beyond my professional life, I'm deeply committed to extending financial knowledge among entrepreneurs, business professionals and young minds. I've had the privilege of teaching financial planning and startup investing to adult and young learners from around the globe, from India to North America, Canada to Singapore.
Whether it's advising on startup investments or navigating the intricate financial aspects of businesses, my diverse background equips me to provide invaluable support.
I believe in empowering the next generation with financial wisdom. My mission is to equip individuals with financial knowledge, whether they're entrepreneurs charting their course or young minds embarking on a journey of learning.
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
No textbook required.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 10/10/2025
Schedule:
Instructor:
Bhargavi Vijayakumar

My journey, which has taken me from corporate boardrooms to the heart of startup ecosystems, uniquely positions me to blend my finance acumen for firms of different stages and sizes. I excel at the crossroads of finance and innovation, providing essential support to early-stage companies. My expertise spans sectors like Automotive, Healthcare, Deeptech, D2C, and Climate-tech.
Beyond my professional life, I'm deeply committed to extending financial knowledge among entrepreneurs, business professionals and young minds. I've had the privilege of teaching financial planning and startup investing to adult and young learners from around the globe, from India to North America, Canada to Singapore.
Whether it's advising on startup investments or navigating the intricate financial aspects of businesses, my diverse background equips me to provide invaluable support.
I believe in empowering the next generation with financial wisdom. My mission is to equip individuals with financial knowledge, whether they're entrepreneurs charting their course or young minds embarking on a journey of learning.
Section ID:
Class type:
All class meetings held in-person according to published location, dates and times. Students may be expected to engage with course content online during the published course dates.
Textbooks:
Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World 1st
by Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani
ISBN / ASIN: 9781633697621
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 10/22/2025
Schedule:
Date | Day | Start | End | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
10/16/2025 | Thu | 3:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Room 440, UCSD Division of Extended Studies 8980, 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive, San Diego |
10/23/2025 | Thu | 3:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Room 440, UCSD Division of Extended Studies 8980, 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive, San Diego |
10/30/2025 | Thu | 3:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Room 440, UCSD Division of Extended Studies 8980, 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive, San Diego |
11/6/2025 | Thu | 3:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Room 440, UCSD Division of Extended Studies 8980, 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive, San Diego |
11/13/2025 | Thu | 3:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Room 440, UCSD Division of Extended Studies 8980, 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive, San Diego |
Instructor:
Rajeswari Ramanan

Raji is a well-rounded, strategic Global Executive Leader with pragmatic solutions and impactful tool kits in Organizational evolution , international Management and Leadership Development. She has conceived, designed and built new marketing and dealership evaluation models, organizational effectiveness models and change management techniques to deliver transformative business results and executive alignment. Her successful and progressive career is a result of diverse, multi-faceted and on-the-ground experience in both developing and mature markets. She has a track record of being results-oriented with contemporary experience in various facets of Management and development in a variety of industries and cultural environments. Her key focus is to unlock human potential and deliver transformative business results through effective cultural transformation, change management and leadership alignment, which she has achieved throughout her 25 years of career across 17 countries and 4 continents for companies such as Lafarge, Iberdrola and Black & Veatch shaping their organization, leadership and talent development practices. She also consulted with organizations like Mckinsey, TATA, Bayer, Monsanto, and Citibank just to name a few.
She is currently the chair of the International Executive Resource Group (IERG) for their California chapter. IERG provides a unique resource of people who have lived through and overcome the business, social, and personal challenges of working in a global role. By sharing our experience, we support each other in converting those challenges into personal and career fulfilling successful outcomes from a logistical, practical, and cultural perspective.
Raji has an MBA degree and a Masters in Commerce and Education. She is a SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional in HR) in the US, a Certified Human Resource Executive (CHRE) from Canada and a Global Human Resources Professional (GPHR) designation in HR by HRCI. She is also a Certified Leadership Coach from ICF. Raji has won several awards including the Woman HR professional of the Year (2011) by National Association of Professional Women in the US and Outstanding Contributor to Global HR and the Tech HR leader award by World HRD congress (2011 and 2016). She is a member of the Institute of Applied Behavioral Science with the National Training Laboratory (NTL) and has several other professional accreditations including Psychological counseling. She is part of the SHRM leadership foundation and a panel member of Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) for Senior HR designation. She has proven expertise in cross cultural assessment, leadership assessment and executive coaching. She is an Adjunct Faculty at the Masters in HR Program as well as holds an advisory Board member position with the School of continuing studies(SCS) in Georgetown, and nonprofit organizations viz., ‘American Civic Association’, ‘Street Entrepreneurs’ and ‘Localized Learning’ . She is also a standing member in Forbes HR council and International Executive Resources Group (IERG) and a Founding Member of “Hacking HR”.. She recently was invited to the advisory Board of the University of California Riverside (UCR) to provide advisory support for the transformative leadership program.
Raji truly believes that “Nothing is Impossible” and challenges status quo where deemed appropriate. Raji lives in the Southern California area - in San Diego and teaches in the UCSD apart from coaching and consulting with organizations and executive leaders as part of her Strategic Solutions Consulting group.