By 2029, it’s estimated the world will produce more than 527 zettabytes of data—triple the amount generated in 2025. Yet, data alone doesn’t drive results. The real competitive advantage comes from knowing how to harness emerging technologies to transform that data into insights, and those insights into high-impact business decisions.
Data Science and AI for Decision Making is a new Harvard Business School Online certificate course designed for leaders, functional managers, and entrepreneurs who want to bridge the gap between data insights and strategic action. You’ll apply data science, machine learning, and generative AI concepts through interactive, hands-on tools and learn how to forecast outcomes, uncover trends, and guide business decisions with confidence.
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This four-module course is co-led by HBS professors Karim Lakhani, the Dorothy and Michael Hintze Professor of Business Administration and Chair of Harvard’s Digital Data Design Institute, and Iavor Bojinov, an Associate Professor of Business Administration. Together, they’ll teach you how to:
- Build a business-focused understanding of data science, machine learning, and generative AI
- Understand how generative AI systems, large language models (LLMs), and prompt engineering work to apply them responsibly and effectively
- Apply unsupervised and supervised learning techniques to uncover patterns, segment data, and forecast outcomes
- Design and evaluate business experiments to generate evidence-based insights
- Lead data- and AI-enabled transformation across teams and industries
Throughout the course, you’ll engage with real business examples and interactive tools like Julius—a leading AI platform for data analysis—to explore, build, and validate data models. In the process, you’ll build technical fluency without needing a data science background and gain confidence speaking the language of your data and AI teams.
“To compete in the modern business world, leaders must know how to leverage data-driven insights to improve organizational performance and guide decisions,” says HBS Online Senior Managing Director Simeen Mohsen. “We’re excited to offer Data Science and AI for Decision Making to help learners build that capability, regardless of their technical background.”
Enrollment is now open for Data Science and AI for Decision Making, which costs $1,850. Once the course launches on February 25, 2026, participants can start anytime and learn at a pace—and on a schedule—that works for them, with 90 days to complete the program.
If you want to take your learning further, consider HBS Online’s Digital Transformation and AI Learning Track, which includes Data Science and AI for Decision Making. Participants who complete three digital transformation and AI courses within 18 months can earn an advanced Certificate of Specialization.
Are you ready to lead data- and AI-enabled transformation? Enroll now by visiting the Data Science and AI for Decision Making page, and begin once the course launches on February 25, 2026.
