Are you familiar with ESSEC’s Metalab? This expertise and influence centre hopes to lead the School to the forefront of European research and teaching in data and artificial intelligence, in addition to heightening public debate on the impact of these technologies on business and society. We find out more with Julien Malaurent (M09 & PHD 12), Guillaume Chevillon and Benoît Bergeret, Metalab’s respective academic co-directors and executive director.

ESSEC Alumni: What prompted ESSEC to create the Metalab? 

Julien Malaurent: ESSEC decided to include data, artificial intelligence and disruptive technologies in the 3 pillars of its RISE strategy, given their rapid development and growing role in organisations, in addition to the resulting impacts in terms of strategy, governance and economic model. 

Guillaume Chevillon: Metalab addresses this objective by focussing ESSEC’s expertise on these topics and disseminating them within the School to fuel teaching and research, as well as in society, to influence public debate. 

Benoît Bergeret: The ultimate aim is to contribute to training future executives and company leaders in the use of disruptive digital technology based on data (data science and AI, automated learning and generative technologies, virtual and augmented reality, distributed governance, or smart contracts, etc.) and to prepare them to deal with the managerial, societal, ethical and economic challenges they raise. 

EA: What is Metalab’s scope of action in this respect?

J. Malaurent: The first axis is the integration of data and artificial intelligence in ESSEC’s programme, with the creation of dedicated course modules for the entire student body, the organisation of seminars and the creation of specialised training programmes such as the Master in Data Sciences & Business Analytics or the Bachelor of Science in AI, Data & Management Sciences, both in partnership with CentraleSupélec.

G. Chevillon: The second axis is support for research with the development and funding of our teachers’ works via links with industrial partners, the dissemination of these works beyond the scientific sphere and the setting up of a state-of-the-art experimental platform (PLEXIA) for machine learning projects requiring substantial computing resources. 

B. Bergeret: The last axis is to bring an original, argued and legitimate voice to a public debate which is still too technical in its approach to these topics, with the development of strategic partnerships, themed conferences and seminars, as well as contributions to studies and reports undertaken by public authorities and organisations such as the CNNUM (National Digital Council) or the OECD.

EA: What resources does Metalab avail of? 

J. Malaurent: Metalab has an annual operating budget which draws jointly on own resources and external co-funding. It will also avail of a dedicated space within the Research Green Tower, one of the new buildings planned for the extension of the Cergy campus by late 2023. This modern facility will house equipment and complementary material resources to host seminars and workshops for the School’s various stakeholders and our external partners.

EA: What actions has Metalab led since its creation? 

G. Chevillon: Metalab’s first role was to lead a community, in particular with the creation of the AI Guild, which acts as a forum for ESSEC teachers and researchers to share their academic works and educational experiences on a regular basis, in addition to the launch of IDEAS. This think-tank brings together some forty students publishing articles on the blockchain, the environmental impact of data use, the future of work or the influence of artificial intelligence on creativity. 

B. Bergeret: We also organise numerous events, seminars and workshops, sometimes in association with our business partners, such a recent session for staff on the use of ChatGPT, a practical training workshop on the metaverse for ESSEC’s extended executive board, or the conference entitled ‘Artificial Intelligence, a call to politicians and citizens to define a space for democratic conscience’.

J. Malaurent: The teachers involved in Metalab have also developed teaching content for the School’s various programmes, such as the ‘Artificial Intelligence for Business’ SPOC, the Business Analytics Methods track, or the ESSEC Executive Education module Mastery of Digital Economic Models (in French), as well as classes and presentations with the Accenture Strategy Business Analytics Chair, the Digital Disruption Chair, the Media & Digital Chair (in French) and the Information Strategy & Governance Chair (in French). In addition to this offer comes the recent launch of ESSEC Online, the augmented digital campus and immersive learning space which bolsters learners’ experience via digital content and peer learning.

EA: What other initiatives has Metalab led outside of ESSEC?

G. Chevillon: On a financial level, we have forged partnerships with tech players and companies for whom data use plays a key role, and more specifically with Onepoint around the theme ‘The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence’. We’ve answered various public calls for expression of interest on subjects such as cyber-security and the expanded offer for training in artificial intelligence professions. 

B. Bergeret: We’ve contributed to the production and drafting of various content: a white paper (in French) on the issues linked to adopting artificial intelligence in small, medium and intermediary French companies, in partnership with AmCham; a report in the framework of an exploratory task on the development of metaverses, commissioned by the Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Recovery, the Ministry for Culture and the State Secretary for Digital Transition and Electronic Communication; a study with Kantar Public France and the French Tech Corporate Community on the future of data professions as seen by major French groups; a comparative study on the adoption of artificial intelligence by businesses and the transformation of professions with the OECD; a Position Paper with Hub France IA on the AI Act, a regulation to be adopted shortly by the European Union for the management of artificial intelligence systems, in addition to numerous articles for Le Monde des Grandes Écoles, L’Opinion, and L’ADN, etc. 

J. Malaurent: Lastly, we are also involved in various multi-partner actions to answer national calls for projects. One such example is the REFCO-IA project, steered by the organisation Hub France IA and funded by the State, which aims to establish a detailed benchmark of the skills in artificial intelligence required by French companies.

EA: What impact have all these actions had? 

G. Chevillon: The ‘AI for Business’ SPOC already trained 800 students between 2022 and 2023, and will be expanded to all programmes as of the next academic year to include 2000 people per year. An average of 180 students are enrolled in the Master in Data Sciences & Business Analytics annually and the programme’s average QS ranking in the last 4 years has been first in Europe and third worldwide; a level of excellence confirmed by the upcoming launch of a dual diploma with Columbia (in French). The Bachelor of Science in AI, Data & Management Sciences will admit between 40 and 50 students per year as of the 2023-24 academic year. 

EA: Are there equivalents of Metalab in other higher education institutions in France or elsewhere?

B. Bergeret: Numerous institutions have been created in this field in France, thanks in large part to public funding, such as the DATAIA institute at Paris-Saclay, or INDEX at Côte d’Azur University. A certain similarity can also be drawn between Metalab and Stanford HAI (Human-centered Artificial Intelligence) or the Alliance for Inclusive Artificial Intelligence (AIAI) by UC Berkeley - Haas School of Business. Any structure of this type obviously has its specificities and develops in its own particular environment. 

EA: How is ESSEC positioned in the AI, data and new technology eco-system? 

J. Malaurent: Other French business schools have integrated these themes in their training offer, such as SKEMA and its AI School for Business. These programmes are generally seeing rapid growth. ESSEC is nevertheless the only school in Europe to have developed such wide-reaching expertise, thanks in particular to the recruitment of teachers from the world’s best universities (Harvard, Oxford, etc.) and research centres (e.g., Riken in Tokyo), publishing in the most renowned journals and speaking at the most prestigious conferences. 

EA: Do you involve ESSEC graduates in your activities? 

G. Chevillon: Numerous ESSEC graduates contribute to our programmes, masterclasses, round tables and more advanced teaching. We are open to other forms of collaboration, however. For example, we’d like ESSEC experts to speak at the conferences and other public events we organise, or transmit the content they have produced to our stakeholders. And we would welcome help and contacts to build partnerships with the sector’s players. 

B. Bergeret: I’d just like to add that the IDEAS think-tank is currently working on a series of podcasts with the Tech ESSEC association. The students would be delighted to interview alumni. 

J. Malaurent: Don’t hesitate to contact Déborah Guidez (guidez@essec.edu). She will put you in contact with one of the team, according to your request or suggestion!

Find out more:  

metalab.essec.edu

Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser (E10), Content Manager at ESSEC Alumni. 

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