Artificial Intelligence-Supported Case Discussions: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Critical Engagement

The case method has been successfully used in operations management courses and is central to business education, yet its effectiveness depends on consistent student preparation. Many students engage only superficially with cases, and the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, further complicates the challenge—providing shortcuts that yield summaries without fostering deeper understanding of trade-offs. This study investigates whether AI can instead be used to strengthen the case method as a pedagogical tool. Partnering with an AI-based upskilling platform, we conducted a field experiment using an AI-supported “quest” structure. We found that students achieved higher quiz scores when using the AI tool to support case preparation than when completing the same type of task without AI-supported preparation. For a group of 38 participants, on average, AI use was associated with an improvement of almost 1 point on a 10-point quiz. This difference was statistically significant using a paired t-test (t(37) = 4.50, p < 0.001). In addition, scores in the AI-supported condition were statistically less variable (standard deviation (SD) = 2.29 versus SD = 1.37), suggesting that AI support may help promote more consistent learning outcomes across students. These findings suggest that rather than undermining the case method, generative AI can enhance case learning when integrated deliberately into preclass preparation.