As regular contributing writers for Forbes, Jones and Clark showcase their expertise in the quickly-evolving industry of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education and its impact on business.
October 16, 2023
By Eric Butterman
Becoming a regular contributing writer for Forbes provides a regular platform to share research, industry expertise and showcase emerging trends. In the case of TCU Neeley faculty members Beata Jones and Elijah Clark the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) is their focus. They began writing articles for the Forbes digital newsroom this fall and both Jones and Clark have seen stories elevated as “editor’s picks.”
Jones, professor of practice in Business Information Systems at TCU Neeley, has been passionate about AI since she was a teenager when she stumbled upon an artificial intelligence-related book describing a natural language processing system called Eliza. Now Jones shares her passion with students, fellow professors and her industry peers. Through Forbes, she is reaching an even broader audience.
“I’m honored to take a subject that has been close to me for decades and bring it to the Forbes audience,” Jones said.
Melissa Delaney, associate editor for Innovation Contributors at Forbes, said, “We’re thrilled to have Elijah and Beata join the Forbes contributors network. Since they started, they have written several excellent stories exploring the power and potential of generative AI.”
Clark, an instructor of Marketing at TCU Neeley, looks at the impact AI has on business, marketing and sales. His articles have addressed AI replacing human salespeople, AI’s influence in recent strikes, and precedent-setting courtroom cases questioning the use of AI by lawyers. So far, two of Clark's stories have been selected as Editor's Picks.
Clark has included intriguing stats, such as Gartner predicting that by 2025 approximately 80 percent of business-to-business (B2B) sales interactions will use digital technology to support productivity and the customer experience.
“The message I’m trying to deliver is that, like it or not, AI is taking over,” Clark said. “It’s as simple as that. It’s time to embrace it. If you’re not using it for business, you will get left behind, or you’re missing out on critical data, or you’re not understanding your customers as well as you could.”
In particular, Clark said he wants to share what AI can do for the small business owner. If a person does not have 100 employees to run marketing campaigns, AI can serve as an option with the use of chat bots or automated email reminders for follow-ups, and much more.
“We will see people early in their career being paid six figures to come in and be the marketing department,” Clark said. “I want Forbes readers to understand how much more powerful using AI can make them.”
Both Clark and Jones are actively teaching the next generation of business professionals and arming them with the critical thinking skills to properly utilize AI systems in their careers.
Jones believes in Neeley’s approach of preparing students for future careers that do not yet exist. Generative AI is a perfect example, and one she began using in her classroom with it’s release last year. She has also provided professional development training for faculty and staff, and is regularly tapped to speak about AI at conferences.
Her first Forbes article offer tips to teachers and professors - “How Educators Can Use Generative AI to Promote Student Innovation” – and was selected as an Editor’s Pick.
“Forbes has been one of the best-known brands in business for a long time and I appreciate the chance to share my insights with the audience and be a part of the business school getting a chance to be read by this audience,” Jones said.
“I know there are many people who are afraid of AI but let’s remember, there is also great reason to be optimistic.”
