Executive education emerges as a competitive imperative in the age of artificial intelligence

Global market growth, skills transformation and AI adoption are elevating executive development from a corporate benefit to a strategic capability.

USD 31.5 billion projected global executive education market by 2036

20% year-on-year growth in executive education in Latin America

70% of the skills used in most jobs are expected to change by 2030

“The transition from omnichannel to optichannel marks the shift from a logic of presence to one of relevance.” Gómez Buroz, Stigliano and de la Vega (translated from Spanish).

The corporate debate is no longer about whether organizations need to transform, but whether they are learning at the speed the environment demands. In this context, executive education is moving beyond an ancillary benefit to become a strategic capability for sustaining competitiveness, navigating uncertainty and translating technological transformation into concrete decisions and results.

“When a market such as executive education is projected to grow from USD 10.9 billion in 2026 to USD 31.5 billion in 2036, it can no longer be treated as an ancillary benefit: it becomes a strategic capability for transforming leadership, judgment and execution. And when work itself is also being reconfigured—with 170 million new roles and 92 million displaced by 2030—the urgency is no longer just to educate more, but to educate better.” Cynthia Donayre  |  Director of Executive Education, Centrum PUCP

A rapidly expanding global market

The global executive education market is valued at USD 10.9 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 31.5 billion by 2036, representing an annual growth rate of 11.2%, according to Future Market Insights. This growth reflects a shift away from generic training models toward customized, performance-oriented solutions linked to tangible outcomes.

In parallel, the market for artificial intelligence in education, valued at USD 7.05 billion in 2025, is projected to reach USD 136.79 billion by 2035, with an annual growth rate of 34.5%. Together, these trajectories point to a structural reconfiguration in how organizations develop leadership and capabilities.

Latin America is part of this dynamic: the region recorded 20% year-on-year growth in executive education and ranked among the world’s most dynamic markets. However, a funding gap remains. In North America, approximately 40% of executive education is funded by employers, compared with only 18% in Latin America, according to GMAC 2023.

AI is not replacing leaders: it is raising the bar for judgment

AI adoption is already under way. The decisive question is whether organizations can use it more effectively to build a genuine competitive advantage. Adding tools is not enough: it requires purpose, clarity around business objectives and a precise understanding of the problems to be solved.

LinkedIn estimates that by 2030, 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change, while 88% of C-suite executives consider accelerating AI adoption a priority for their organizations. Demand for related capabilities is already strong: in 2025, 60% of users added skills related to ChatGPT and 38% added prompt engineering skills.

The shift extends beyond task substitution. Roles centered on routine execution are giving way to functions that require critical thinking, adaptive leadership, emotional intelligence and the ability to orchestrate intelligent systems. Executive development can therefore no longer be assessed solely by what participants know, but by what they can do differently when they return to their organizations.

From content delivery to the ability to act

Executive education must prepare leaders to interpret ambiguous environments, make better-grounded decisions, collaborate in hybrid human-technology systems and turn change into concrete action. Content, conceptual frameworks and case studies remain valuable, but they are no longer sufficient in settings that require working with incomplete information, interacting with intelligent systems and responding with independent judgment.

AI should not be treated as an isolated topic within a program. Its value emerges when it operates as a cross-cutting lever: personalizing learning pathways, identifying development needs, expanding analytical capacity, accelerating feedback, enriching collaboration and providing more useful evidence of each executive’s progress.

At the same time, technology forces leaders to distinguish between executing tasks and exercising judgment; to decide what can be automated and what requires human discernment; and to assess the principles, safeguards and impact on people that should guide adoption. Any rigorous discussion of AI in executive education must include governance, ethics, privacy, transparency and accountability.

The most relevant learning experiences bring participants closer to real challenges: open-ended problems, testing possible responses, comparing decisions with reality and reflecting on outcomes. This approach, known as action learning, narrows the gap between the classroom and practice, converting knowledge into judgment, effective communication, collaboration, self-awareness and confidence to act in complex contexts.

A strategic opportunity for Latin America

In a region where many organizations operate under budget constraints, digitalization gaps and mounting pressure to adapt, executive education can serve as a bridge between technology, leadership and execution. The objective is not to replicate external models automatically, but to design responses suited to specific business contexts.

Business schools therefore face the challenge of redesigning learning experiences for environments in which technology shapes operations, strategy and decision-making. Innovation does not lie in demonstrating a new tool, but in developing leaders who can think, decide and act more effectively in increasingly complex settings.

Centrum PUCP’s approach

Centrum PUCP integrates AI as a cross-cutting pedagogical lever within its executive education model. The approach includes AI-powered virtual tutors that support learning in real time, AI-based team formation systems and tools designed to measure the impact of learning with greater precision.

The goal is not technological in itself. It is to develop leaders who can interpret change, mobilize teams, make better-grounded decisions and create value amid transformation. The difference will not come from technological enthusiasm or superficial adoption, but from purpose, a clear reading of business objectives and the ability to define what AI will be used for and which specific problem it will help solve.