Generative AI Lab

3-0-9 units · Graduate

Pairs student teams with host organizations to solve real-world business challenges using generative AI. Emphasizes strategic implementation and practical application, requiring teams to build working end-to-end prototypes on top of LLM APIs rather than focusing on pure theory or research. Students gain experience with modern AI engineering tools and methods as pertinent to their projects including: AI evals, RAG/vector databases, agentic workflows and frameworks, prompt engineering, and coding assistants like Claude Code and Cursor. Students are expected to be proficient in Python or TypeScript to contribute meaningfully to technical deliverables. Application required for admission.

Spring 2003 · Information Technology as an Integrating Force in Manufacturing

Topics

Course Introduction
Should the General Manager Care to Learn IT?
Re-Positioning the Value Proposition Through IT
Aligning Programs and Processes The MIT View of the Firm
Electronic Markets and Supply Change Management
Designing an Industry-wide Information Architecture (I): “Under the Hood” of a Commercial Website
Designing an Industry-wide Information Architecture (II): Transaction Streams
A View Into the Future: Web Technologies Basics and the Semantic Web
SAP in Manufacturing What Should the CEO Know About ERPs?
Aligning IT and the Organization: Role of Artificial Intelligence and Other Forecasting Technologies
The Little-man Computer
Introduction to Databases, Data Modeling and XML
Designing an Industry-wide Information Architecture (III): Computer Security/Cryptography
Strategic Framing: Broadband Technologies and the Information Value-chain
Course Closure

Readings

LEC #: 2 · TOPICS: Should the General Manager Care to Learn IT? · READINGS: Case: Andreu, Prof. Rafael. “Autoventa Diaria S.A.: Memorandum to the CEO and the CMO/CIO Crisis.” IESE Case No. 0-192-030 SI-35-E. IESE Publishing , 1992. ↗
Reading assignment
LEC #: 3 · TOPICS: Re-Positioning the Value Proposition Through IT · READINGS: Case: Subirana, Prof. Brian and Marcel Zuidhof. “Virtual Distribution on the Internet and the Transformation of the Publishing Industry.” IESE Case No. 0-196-026 SI-93-E. IESE Publishing , 1996. ↗
Reading assignment
Case: Konsynski, Prof. Benn. “Baxter Healthcare Corp.: ASAP Express.” Harvard Business Case No. 9-188-080. Boston: Harvard Business School, 1988.
Listed reading
Short and Venkatraman. “Beyond Business Process Redesign: Redefining Baxter’s Business Network.” Sloan Management Review , Fall 1992.
Listed reading
Porter, Michael. “What is Strategy?” Harvard Business Review , November 1996.
Listed reading
Ghemawhat, Pankaj. “Commitment.” Free Press, 1991, chapter 2.
Listed reading
LEC #: 7 · TOPICS: Designing an Industry-wide Information Architecture (II): Transaction Streams · READINGS: Hagel III, John and Jeffrey Rayport. “The New Infomediaries.” McKinsey Quarterly , Number 4, 1997.
Reading assignment
Orfali, R. et al. “Client/Server Survival Guide (3rd edition).” Wiley, 1999, chapters 26-27.
Listed reading
Wright, R. “The Man Who Invented the Web.” Time, May 19, 1997.
Listed reading
Malone, T., Y. Yates, and R. I. Benjamin. “Electronic Markets and Electronic Hierarchies.” Communications of the ACM , 1987.
Listed reading
Karrer, Lukas. “Characterization of Internet traffic.” CCIC Seminar 37-310, 2000.
Listed reading
Case: Andreu, Rafael, Sandra Sieber, Brian Subirana, Josep Valor and Fernando Jim?nez. “Implementation of SAP at CELSA (B).” IESE Case No. 2-103-019 SI-139-E. Barcelona, Spain: IESE Publishing , January 2003. ↗
Listed reading
Davenport, T. H. “Putting the Enterprise into the Enterprise System.” Harvard Business Review , August 1998, pp. 121-131.
Listed reading
Case: Ostrofsky, Keri and Prof. James Cash. “Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.” Harvard Business Case No. 9-189-056. Harvard Business School, 1988.
Listed reading
“J. C. Penney Decentralizes Its Purchasing. Individual Stores Can Tailor Buying to Needs.” TWJ Europe , May 8, 1986.
Listed reading
“Business Process Improvement and Software Selection Using ARIS at a Mid-Market Manufacturing Company.” Business Process Excellence: ARIS in Practice . Springer, 2002, pp. 109-128.
Listed reading
“The BPS Market Catches Another Major Updraft.” IDS Scheer/Gartner, 2002.
Listed reading
Madnick, Stuart. “Understanding the Computer (Little Man Computer).” 1993. (Unpublished manuscript.)
Listed reading
White, Ron et. al. “How Computers Work (Millennium Edition).” Zipf Davis, 1999. (Good introductory text on the internals of computer hardware and system software. This book is recommended if you don’t have a background in science or engineering.)
Listed reading
Behar, Richard. “Who’s Reading Your E-mail?” Fortune. Feb. 3, 1997, pp. 57-70. VanDam, Chuck under supervision of Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson. “Encryption and Authentication.” Stanford University Case Studies . Stanford University Case Services, April 1998.
Listed reading
LEC #: 22 · TOPICS: Strategic Framing: Broadband Technologies and the Information Value-chain · READINGS: Case: Sandoval, Matthew L under supervision of Prof. Stephen P. Bradley. “Excite@Home: Betting on a Broadband Revolution.” Harvard Business Case No. 9-700-069. Boston: Harvard Business School, 2000.
Reading assignment

Prerequisites & course information

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Sources

Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2003
MIT OCW readings ↗
MIT OCW syllabus ↗
MIT OCW calendar ↗
Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.