Artificial intelligence is already reshaping how companies operate, make decisions, and serve customers, and Reichman University is building one of its MBA tracks around that shift. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Dr. Roy Sasson, head of the AI and Big Data track in Reichman University’s Global MBA program, said the goal is not to turn students into programmers, but to train professionals who can apply AI within real organizations.
Sasson said AI is most valuable when paired with strong data infrastructure and a clear understanding of how organizations work. He argued that companies increasingly need employees who can identify inefficiencies, redesign workflows, and create new value for customers, whether they come from engineering, finance, manufacturing, or other analytical backgrounds.
He said the track is designed for professionals already working inside organizations that are trying to improve productivity, rethink workflows, and build new products using AI and data. In that sense, the program is positioned less as startup training and more as a path for those who want to become agents of change within existing companies.
Sasson said one of the program’s defining features is its practical structure. According to him, students tackle projects in big data, machine learning, and AI using real company problems and real datasets, rather than relying mainly on lectures, slides, and traditional exams.
He said the faculty is made up of instructors who combine academic work with industry experience, and that students build solutions in cloud-based environments similar to those used by businesses. The curriculum also features leadership-focused seminars and a field trip to New York, where students connect with startups, venture capital firms, corporations, and university AI labs.
To illustrate the kind of work students encounter, Sasson pointed to projects involving a financial recommendation system, a travel-sector chatbot, and machine learning-supported infrastructure monitoring. In each case, he said the challenge is not simply building a prototype, but creating tools reliable enough to operate inside companies with real customers, real liabilities, and real operational constraints.
Sasson also addressed concerns that AI is evolving so quickly that today’s specialization could soon be overtaken by something else. He said the program is designed around transferable skills, including asking the right questions, evaluating evidence critically, persuading stakeholders, and connecting strategy to execution.
He argued that even as tools change, businesses will still need people who can think clearly, learn quickly, and make decisions in uncertain environments. In Sasson's view, the lasting value of the degree lies not only in exposure to current AI systems but in learning how to guide organizations through technological change.
More can be found out about the AI and Big Data track here.
This article was written in collaboration with Reichman University