RIYADH: While artificial intelligence is transforming how businesses operate and leaders make decisions, its effectiveness and potential still rely on human judgment, creativity, and the ability to ask the right questions, according to Prof. Zeger Degraeve, executive dean of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship. Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, Degraeve stressed that despite the rapid advancement of the technology, AI remains a product of human innovation. “AI did not invent itself. It is still a testimony to human ingenuity, human creativity and innovation,” he said, adding that human intelligence continues not only to prevail, but to dominate. At MBSC, students are taught to approach AI as a process rather than simply using it as a tool that produces definitive answers. Degraeve explained that the process is built around three central questions designed to help students engage with the technology more effectively. He highlighted that the first question must outline the desired outcome, saying:  “We need to really be sure what we really want, and you’ll be surprised — in many situations, people are not quite sure.” Once that objective has been established, the next question is: What are the options? The final step involves identifying what information and resources are needed, before using AI to gather and organize them for better decision-making, in-depth research, and so on.  Degraeve said this approach was particularly valuable for business leaders and executives who he often teaches and who have pointed to a lack of sufficient data as an obstacle to informed decision-making in the past, and before the era of AI. With the rise of AI, he said, that justification “has become completely void.” He added: “If you really need a trend, you then ask for historical information and AI will find it for you. AI will then make a graph to give an indication: Is the market growing? Is the market contracting? You have a trend.” The same process can be applied to market competition and other forms of business analysis, with AI producing tools such as charts and graphs to help leaders better understand the information that exists in a more comprehensible and accessible way.  Despite the long list of added benefits that come with AI in the education sector, Degraeve emphasized that these outcomes remain the result of human activity. It is the individual who determines what information is needed, selects how it should be presented and decides how it will inform the final course of action. While many question the future of creativity in the age of AI, Degraeve spoke to Arab News on it being a pillar at MBSC, one of two core principles in its curriculum. He said: “Creativity alone is purely an academic exercise. You also need the abilities and the skills to make things happen — to execute effectively.” This is what he calls “technology and human DNA,” a motto for the establishment’s teaching principles as it prepares students to navigate and lead in an increasingly AI-driven business environment.  For companies considering where to draw the line in their use of AI, Degraeve argued that the focus should instead be on how they engage with it. Employees and executives should remain active and reflective, leading with continuous tactful questioning of information AI provides rather than accepting its answers without introspection.