Challenges of Preparing Students for International Entrepreneurship in the era of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

International entrepreneurship competencies in the era of rapidly developing artificial intelligence focus more than earlier on stepping out of one’s comfort zone, asking the right questions, assessing the reliability of information sources, and developing cross-cultural teamwork readiness. The purpose of this research is to prepare students for collaborative learning situations where generative artificial intelligence tools have become widely available. The main research question is: What are the challenges in different types of entrepreneurial team-based action learning projects in the context of artificial intelligence? Learning concepts based on collaborative learning and improving the international networking readiness of students are presented. Practical implications of time zone differences, trust building and conflict management in international teams are analysed based on the experience of X-Culture projects. We compare the opportunities and challenges of applying generative artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT-4, Microsoft Co-pilot and Google Gemini Advanced when developing learners’ own international business ideas to learning from international teamwork to assist foreign start-ups in entering new markets. Gaps in skills to apply human collaboration for critically assessing artificial intelligence summary answers and identifying possible hallucinations when comparing new potential foreign markets were revealed. Artificial intelligence applications can be used to form global student teams based on the similarity of entrepreneurial self-development visions of team members. Still, experimenting with prompts in these applications can also enhance readiness to compare the pros and cons of different international entrepreneurship concepts and intelligent questioning skills for coaching and consulting. Students can chat with AI in a role-playing manner that helps them understand how to manage cultural differences in international entrepreneurship teams. Online action learning driven by tasks of start-ups is an essential tool in the entrepreneurial learning approach that prepares students to understand the value and limitations of generative artificial intelligence tools for international entrepreneurship. This paper contributes to understanding the challenges in action learning of students for international entrepreneurship and ways to overcome these challenges in the era when generative artificial intelligence tools are changing learning and international entrepreneurship practices.