New Delhi: In a groundbreaking shift in management education, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi has announced it will replace traditional hall-based mid-term examinations with AI-integrated business problem-solving projects across all courses.

According to officials, the initiative, titled WAI (Working with AI), marks a radical departure from conventional assessment practices and places IIM Ranchi at the forefront of pedagogical innovation.

“We recognised that the traditional model of isolated theoretical learning was becoming increasingly disconnected from the dynamic needs of modern business,” said Deepak Srivastava, Director of IIM Ranchi.

“Our students need to develop competencies that go beyond textbook knowledge — they must work collaboratively with emerging technologies to solve complex business challenges,” he added.

Srivastava said the WAI initiative reflects a deep understanding of how artificial intelligence is reshaping the business landscape. “Rather than treating AI as a separate domain, we've integrated it into business education. Students must now demonstrate the ability to work alongside AI systems to create innovative solutions to real business problems,” he said.

This approach, he added, addresses a critical gap in traditional management education, where students often graduate with theoretical knowledge but lack hands-on experience in human-AI collaboration — a skill increasingly vital in today's workplace.

By embedding AI collaboration directly into assessments, students develop such skills organically rather than through standalone technology courses.

Despite the mid-term overhaul, traditional hall-based examinations will continue for end-term evaluations.

“We're not discarding the strengths of traditional methods,” said Gaurav Manohar Marathe, Chairperson, Student Engagement and Development Committee. “Instead, we're creating a hybrid assessment ecosystem that balances academic rigour with real-world application.”