On July 30, at the Southern Federal University, at the initiative of the Faculty of Management, a panel discussion was held titled “AI Transformation 2026: How to Manage a Business Based on Data and Neural Networks.”
The event brought together managers, tech entrepreneurs, and AI experts — and was held in a hybrid format with the participation of Innopolis University, a key partner of Southern Federal University in the IT sector.
The main conclusion of the meeting was: implementing artificial intelligence is not a technological task, but a managerial and cultural one. The most powerful driver of digital transformation is not money, but the sense of being part of the company’s future. The ability to influence processes and see the results of one’s initiatives motivates employees more than any bonuses.
The discussion participants agreed that the key mistake leaders make is implementing AI “from above” without explaining to the team what is changing and what their role will now be. According to the speakers, an honest conversation with the team at the outset is more important than any technology.
The discussion was attended by Alexander Bukurov — CEO of “Webpractik”, President of the IT Education Development Fund; Mark Berezkin — General Director of “Madrigal Laboratory”, Founder of the AI‑based business solution service Sellergpt; Ilya Korchagin — Head of the Department at SberUniversity, Expert at ANO HE “Neymark” and Innopolis University, Author of Russia’s first AI Ethics School; Sergey Savin — General Director of “Rezult Region”.
The moderator was Dmitry Shevchenko, Dean of the Faculty of Management at Southern Federal University.
As part of the event, a joint master’s program of Southern Federal University and Innopolis University — “Artificial Intelligence in Business Management” — was presented. Dmitry Shevchenko emphasized the uniqueness of the program: it is a synergy of Southern Federal University’s management approaches and Innopolis’s advanced IT competencies. Details can be found at the link.
After the discussion, the guests continued their conversation in a networking format. The organizers invited business partners to participate in the development and implementation of the new master’s program and reminded that training at the intersection of management and technology is a direct path to in‑demand competencies in the era of AI.
Short link to this page sfedu.ru/news/81116
