AI Marketing: UIC Professor Dr. Adam Duhachek empowers students with the skills to leverage AI tools

Meet Dr. Adam Duhachek, UIC Professor for the online Master of Science in Marketing program at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). With a Ph.D. in Marketing from Northwestern University, Dr. Duhachek seamlessly integrates his background in math and economics with an interest in technology and human behavior to shape the curriculum of his courses.

Dr. Duhachek has contributed significantly to the online M.S. in Marketing program by developing two courses: MKTG 561: Consumer Market Behavior and MKTG 563: Marketing Research I. These courses offer students the opportunity to collaborate with organizations, applying marketing strategies, and emphasizing the role of technology in decision-making within market research. Having been one of the first instructors in the UIC College of Business to incorporate AI tools like ChatGPT into his curriculum, he emphasizes the significance of equipping students with the skills to leverage these tools rather than resisting their integration.

Learn more about Dr. Duhachek as he shares his academic and professional trajectory, plus gain an understanding of what M.S. in Marketing students can expect to learn in his online graduate courses.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, and I have an undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska in math and economics. I wasn’t certain math was what I wanted to do, but I always had an interest in business. In college, I had a marketing internship at a market research firm. I knew I was good at school, and I had a management professor ask me if I ever thought about a PhD. He explained the faculty research, time commitment, and lifestyle. The real world sounded scary at that point, so I thought pursuing my education further would be a good option.

I went on to pursue my PhD in Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern in Chicago, and I’ve been a marketing professor ever since. My background in mathematics and economics provided valuable general training. While there is an economic aspect to marketing, it turns out I’m more interested in the human behavior and psychological aspects of marketing and that’s been how I’ve spent my time ever since.

What keeps you excited about the field of marketing?

There’s ongoing debate in universities about the role of ChatGPT on campus. Some view it as a potential threat to the institution’s mission, leading to bans in certain colleges. However, that’s like banning electricity. I believe it’s a valuable technology that enhances learning. I stand against restrictions and see it as a crucial tool for students in higher education. I feel like I have an obligation to my marketing students to make them as familiar as possible with this technology.

How have you implemented AI into your courses?

I believe I was the first instructor to implement a ChatGPT assignment into a course in the UIC College of Business in January 2023, two months after it launched. I required students in my undergraduate marketing consumer behavior course to engage with ChatGPT to improve a marketing plan for a brand of their choosing. In my online MS in Marketing course, I will have assignments where I require students to use ChatGPT and at time of submission I want them to share with me not only their solution but also the full history of their engagement with ChatGPT. I want to see how they got there and how well they’re using the tool and how much it impacted their thinking and final solution.

One common concern is that ChatGPT will do everything for you, but that’s not the case. I think one thing revealed to me in my interactions with ChatGPT is that it amplifies the role of domain knowledge. So, if you know a lot about a subject, then you’ll able to engage with ChatGPT at a deeper level and get better output than a novice would. This type of assignment doesn’t replace expertise, instead it amplifies the value of expertise. I think the more experience and knowledge students have working with these AI marketing tools, the more prepared they’ll be for their future careers.

What are some of the valuable skills and/or knowledge students will develop in your online M.S. in Marketing courses?

We’re hitting the home stretch in completing the development of the MKTG 563: Marketing Research I course. This class is always evolving and improving as new technologies arrive. Historically, market research has focused on current industry practices. However, the landscape has changed, making it increasingly accessible for individuals and small businesses, including startups, to conduct their own market research. Gone are the days when it was exclusive to large research firms; now, anyone can go online, field a survey, and receive responses from a diverse audience.

I also emphasize to students the empowerment to design their own surveys to address specific research questions. Additionally, we explore how ChatGPT can enhance this research experience. The course delves into leveraging technology for decision-making, such as using chat interfaces to gather insights for advertising campaigns or digital marketing plans. The goal is to showcase how technology, whether for a multinational corporation or a startup, can answer relevant questions and improve consumer outreach strategies.

Are there any projects or real-world applications that students can look forward to in your online marketing courses?

In my MKTG 561: Consumer Market Behavior course, we partnered with a Chicago based charity, the Gift of Hope, which is an organ donation supervisory organization. They manage the process of finding donors, building donor registries, organizing and assisting with the harvesting of organs when donors have been identified and recipients have been identified. It’s a noble and charitable cause, and like most non-governmental organizations, they don’t have a large budget for marketing. I told them I had a group of eager students interested in assisting their organization with a marketing plan, and we worked jointly to put out an assignment that would be helpful to them. Students appreciate these types of real-world experiences and I joke that we might see one of their ads on a bus around the city.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned about having a successful career that you would like to pass on to your students?

My advice is to never assume that your education is finished. The professionals that are suited to succeed in a business environment are the ones that are always adapting and growing. I talk about motivation versus ability in my consumer behavior course. Everyone sees the benefits of ability. You hire intelligent and talented people who will help your company or endeavor get you to the position to succeed. However, if you gave me a choice, I would choose motivation over ability. We can all think of examples of able people that don’t apply themselves and therefore are not successful. You don’t have to be a genius, but if you stay at it and constantly learn you will succeed.

Tell us about the most exciting project you are working on right now.

One thing I’m excited about, and it’s in very tentative stages, is how businesses or individuals can use ChatGPT to forecast events or make predictions. There’s a growing interest in crowdsourcing prediction models, such as viewing the stock market as a large-scale prediction of company performance. Exploring the capabilities of chat or other algorithm-based models to predict future human events is intriguing. There’s a lot of smart people dedicated to this, particularly in finance for its potential profitability. Beyond financial markets, there’s immense potential in forecasting outcomes like elections, product launches, or political conflicts. I think there’s a lot of potential in utilizing these types of technologies to potentially predict how humans are going to behave, and that’s an area that really fascinates me.