AI (Artificial Intelligence) concept. Deep learning. GUI (Graphical User Interface).
Practice Before The Pressure: The Roles Of AI And VR In Business School
Imagine walking into a virtual office, sitting across from your boss and asking for a promotion and salary increase. Your manager pushes back. You have to think on your feet. Your body language matters. So does the way you phrase your questions. It’s incredibly stressful.
Now, imagine being able to mock this scenario in a safe environment before the stakes are high – as a student, with coaching and feedback.
This is the kind of training that both virtual reality and artificial intelligence in business education could bring, says Kevin Rockmann, a professor with more than 20 years of classroom experience. In his article published online with AACSB, Rockmann explains how he uses VR and AI in his negotiation courses.
THE PROBLEM WITH TRADITIONAL ROLE-PLAY
Learning how to negotiate, communicate, and lead can be pretty intimidating for students. Classroom roles‑plays up the ante. Typically, there’s a short amount of prep time before students perform in front of their peers, which can trigger shortcuts like confirmation bias and projection.
“Students learn how they experience in-class role-playing,” Rockmann writes, “but do not cultivate deeper knowledge for how they should conduct their own real-world negotiations.”
VR changes the experience. Instead of one high‑pressure performance, students enter an immersive space where they can pause, restart and try again.
Rockmann says VR can make business education more inclusive and digestible.
What does this actually look like in practice? In Sage’s Negotiation and Conflict Management Skills VR Experience, built with Bodyswaps, students ask a virtual supervisor, Santiago, for a promotion.
Afterward, they review their body language, replay the conversation from Santiago’s perspective, and receive AI feedback on respectfulness, creativity, use of facts, and perspective-taking. Then they try again, creating a feedback loop traditional role-play rarely offers.
Several other top business schools are starting to teach like this. In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Lindsay Ellis reported that Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management is using AI-generated characters to turn traditional case studies into interactive business simulations, with more than 2,000 students having used the AI cases.
“Students no longer read through every available factoid,” Ellis says. Instead, they draw out details and data through open-ended conversations with AI chatbots and then craft a strategy.
WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT AI/VR LEARNING
Rockmann says that his students are saying that learning this way feels more individualized and relevant. One student said they realized they avoid conflict with higher-power counterparts, and another found rapport-building came naturally and improved outcomes.
For business undergraduates, there’s so much value in using VR and AI in a safe space to understand how they negotiate, communicate and respond under pressure before those skills matter in internships or jobs.
“Used in combination, these technologies can cultivate safe, customized, and inclusive spaces where our students don’t just learn to perform better in role-playing exercises,” shares Rockmann. “They develop skills that are essential for long-term success in the real-world workplace.”
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