The Creative Leap AI Cannot Make Is Not Taught in Graduate Education

Dr. Phuong Nguyen stated that although artificial intelligence excels at finding data patterns (induction) and making logical inferences (deduction), it lacks the ability of "abduction" (creative leap), which is the skill of generating new explanations from unexpected observations. Nguyen argues that current graduate programs focus on areas that AI can already do, but fail to teach this creative thinking practice.

The Limit of AI and the Einstein Example

A paper published by Google DeepMind concluded that even if a modern AI possessed all of Albert Einstein's knowledge from 1907, it would still not be able to invent the theory of general relativity. Dr. Phuong Nguyen notes that while AI is highly successful in inductive and deductive processes, it lacks the capacity for abduction (the creative leap), which is the process of generating a new explanation from a surprising observation.

Deficiencies in Graduate Education

It is stated that typical MBA or executive master's programs reward areas such as framework recognition and inference, which AI can already easily perform. It is emphasized that programs rarely train and almost never assess students' abilities to notice situations that do not fit existing patterns and to generate new explanations from them.

Grounded Theory as a Solution

It is noted that grounded theory, developed in sociology in 1967 by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss, turns this creative leap into a systematic process. This method is said to demonstrate that the creative leap is not an innate talent, but a disciplined practice conducted with a prepared mind.

Practical Recommendations for Managers

Dr. Nguyen suggests that to develop this creative leap skill, managers should write down their own views before consulting any AI tool. Additionally, he points out the importance of structured methods, such as recording expectations before decisions and weekly comparisons of personal principles with lived experiences.