AI, Entrepreneurship, and Business Leadership Research Stream
Exploring how entrepreneurs and leaders use artificial intelligence in real-world practice
Led by Dr. Jan Cardwell, the AI, Entrepreneurship, and Business Leadership Research Stream is a faculty-led initiative within the CLER | Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and AI Futures Lab. This research stream examines how entrepreneurs, consultants, business owners, and organizational leaders are using artificial intelligence in real-world practice.
The initiative focuses on practitioner-informed scholarship, applied research, industry engagement, and public conversation. Through entrepreneur interviews, podcast conversations, LinkedIn dialogue, short surveys, white papers, AI-generated microlearning demonstrations, and potential partner collaborations, this work explores how AI is reshaping leadership, entrepreneurial innovation, ethical decision-making, and organizational effectiveness.
This research stream supports CLER鈥檚 broader mission to advance applied, career-relevant scholarship at the intersection of leadership, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, and organizational practice.
What is the AI, Entrepreneurship, and Business Leadership Research Stream?
The AI, Entrepreneurship, and Business Leadership Research Stream is an applied research initiative focused on how leaders and entrepreneurs are adopting and using artificial intelligence across business, consulting, training, communication, and organizational settings.
Rather than examining AI only as a technical tool, this initiative studies AI as a leadership and entrepreneurship issue. The research stream explores how AI influences decision-making, innovation, productivity, ethical responsibility, human judgment, and the future of work.
Current areas of interest include:
鈻 AI tools used by entrepreneurs and business leaders
鈻 AI-supported decision-making and strategy
鈻 Leadership communication in AI-enabled environments
鈻 Entrepreneurial innovation and business development
鈻 AI ethics and responsible use
鈻 AI-generated training, microlearning, and communication tools
鈻 Practitioner stories of AI adoption and experimentation
Who is it for?听
This research stream is designed for scholar-practitioners, entrepreneurs, business leaders, consultants, faculty researchers, and organizational partners interested in how AI is changing leadership and entrepreneurship.
The initiative may engage:
- Entrepreneurs using AI in business development or operations
- Consultants integrating AI into client work
- Business owners exploring AI-supported innovation
- Faculty scholars interested in applied AI research
- Organizational leaders navigating AI-enabled change
- Students and emerging professionals studying leadership, entrepreneurship, and technology
- Community and industry partners interested in practitioner-informed research
The goal is to create a bridge between scholarly inquiry and the real-world experiences of people actively using AI in professional and entrepreneurial settings.
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Research and Engagement Pathways听
The research stream includes several emerging pathways for inquiry, collaboration, and public scholarship.
Entrepreneur AI Conversations:
Structured conversations with entrepreneurs and business leaders about how they are using AI tools, what problems they are trying to solve, and what opportunities or challenges they are encountering.
The Spark: Entrepreneur and AI Innovations Podcast:
A developing podcast initiative created by Dr. Jan Cardwell and Bonnie Ellis. The podcast features conversations with entrepreneurs and leaders who are using AI in practical, creative, and innovative ways.
Leadership Pulse Survey:
A proposed short-form survey model designed to capture timely perspectives from entrepreneurs, leaders, and practitioners. These brief surveys may generate CLER insight reports, blog posts, infographics, and practitioner briefs.
White Paper Pipeline:
A developing collection of applied white papers focused on leadership, entrepreneurship, ethics, AI adoption, and organizational change.
AI Microlearning Demonstrations:
Short AI-generated video and avatar-based learning examples that explore how AI tools may support training, classroom engagement, leadership development, and professional communication.
Dr. Cardwell is currently engaging entrepreneurs and professional networks in conversations about AI use in business and leadership practice. These conversations are helping identify which AI tools are being used, how entrepreneurs are applying them, and what practical insights are emerging from the field.
Current work includes entrepreneur conversations, LinkedIn social questions, AI video prompts, and early podcast development.
The Spark: Entrepreneur and AI Innovations is an emerging podcast initiative developed by Dr. Jan Cardwell and Bonnie Ellis. The podcast is designed to capture real-world stories from entrepreneurs, consultants, business owners, and organizational leaders who are using AI in innovative ways.
The podcast supports CLER鈥檚 public scholarship mission by translating practitioner experience into accessible insight for leaders, educators, students, and organizations.
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This research stream supports applied white papers and practitioner-focused scholarship related to leadership, entrepreneurship, AI, and organizational effectiveness.
Current white paper projects include:
鈻 Leadership and Ethics in Health Care
In collaboration with Crystal Glover
鈻 The Influencer Entrepreneur
In collaboration with James Traylor
Additional white paper topics may emerge from entrepreneur conversations, podcast interviews, LinkedIn dialogue, and Leadership Pulse survey findings.
The Leadership Pulse is a proposed short-form survey initiative designed to capture timely perspectives from entrepreneurs, business leaders, and professional networks. These brief surveys may be distributed through LinkedIn, Align, and partner communities.
The research stream may also develop an Impact Partners model, connecting CLER with employers, nonprofits, small-business networks, entrepreneurs, and community organizations. These partners may help identify real-world leadership and entrepreneurship challenges while collaborating with CLER on co-branded reports, case studies, and applied research outputs.
Future development may include a Leadership and Entrepreneurship Case Lab, a public CLER Case Library, an AI business leadership workshop series, and expanded partner-based research projects.
These future directions would allow CLER to produce applied case studies, downloadable resources, workshop materials, and research-informed business insights for students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and organizational partners.
Ready to move your ideas forward?听Ready to Share Your AI Leadership Story?
Are you an entrepreneur, consultant, business owner, or organizational leader using AI in your work?
The AI, Entrepreneurship, and Business Leadership Research Stream invites leaders and entrepreneurs to share how they are using artificial intelligence to support innovation, productivity, communication, training, ethical decision-making, or business growth.
Participants may contribute through podcast conversations, brief surveys, practitioner interviews, LinkedIn discussions, white paper collaborations, or applied case examples.
听Dr. Jan Cardwell
LEAD Fellow for AI Business Leadership
Dr. Janice 鈥淛an鈥 Cardwell is CEO of Conceivers Leadership and Learning Group Coach and a Distinguished Fellow in the Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurial Research. She brings more than 40 years of leadership experience across industry, higher education, coaching, consulting, and entrepreneurship, including prior service as Vice President/Director of the 爱豆传媒 Detroit Campus.
Dr. Cardwell holds a PhD in Education, an MBA in Global Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Business with a Human Resource Management Certificate. Within CLER, she leads a special AI-focused initiative exploring how entrepreneurs and business leaders use artificial intelligence in practice.
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