Around 70 percent of the challenges in implementing AI lie with people and processes, only 10 percent with the algorithms.
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Executive Career Programs · Level 1
xMBA Executive TrainingAI Business Fluency
Understand AI, apply it and use it effectively in business. In 16 course days, with agile working, a startup mindset and applied tech.
Until 2026, AI Business Fluency was run as the xMBA AI-Powered Career Bootcamp. Existing bookings and referrals remain valid in 2027.
Faculty made up of entrepreneurs
who walk these paths themselves every day.
- Format
- 16 course daysIntensive in 4 weeks or part-time over around 10 weeks
- Language
- German or Englishdepending on the cohort
- Location
- Launchspace Zürichplus online sessions
- Qualification
- GAT xMBA certificateplus AI Business Professional (SAQ)
AI Business Fluency
Have your say, because you’ve built it yourself.
AI Business Fluency is the foundation level of GAT’s Executive Career Programs. For 16 course days, you work with the tools that are arriving in companies today: large language models, digital assistants and your own AI agents. You apply them in a real product development case, with design thinking, agile methods and a startup mindset.
Fluency here means: you can put AI into context in conversations with the board, IT and your team, you have built with it yourself, and you know where the risks lie. The Faculty consists of entrepreneurs who walk these paths themselves every day.
Hands-on, not lecture hall
The difference from a university programme lies in the way of working. You don’t sit in a lecture hall, you build: an assistant, a prototype, your own AI agent, a pitch. Every course day aims at a result you can show, and at the end you defend your case in a simulated negotiation with an AI investor.
Why fluency
Fluency means using AI as naturally as a language you speak fluently: without looking things up, at the right moment, for the right task. It also means knowing where AI reaches its limits and when your own judgement is needed. That is the difference between knowing about AI and using it effectively in business.
Why AI Business Fluency
AI only works when the business moves with it.
The program is deliberately not called just AI Fluency. Simply putting AI on top of existing processes rarely makes a noticeable difference. Impact comes when workflows, responsibilities and roles are rethought. That takes a new mindset and a new understanding of business.
That is why AI Business Fluency is not just an AI course. You learn to use AI as a tool, an agent, an agent team and a team member, and at the same time how to reshape processes, teams and business models so that AI can unfold its potential: with Design Thinking, agile methods and a startup mindset.
Nearly three quarters of companies that attribute at least 5 percent of their EBIT to AI have fundamentally redesigned their workflows because of AI. Among the others, it is around a quarter.
95 percent of the organisations studied see no measurable return from their GenAI investments. The study names missing integration into workflows as the main reason, not the capability of the models.
Further reading: BCG: Where’s the Value in AI? (2024) · McKinsey: The state of AI in 2026 · MIT NANDA: The GenAI Divide, State of AI in Business 2025 (coverage)
What you’ll learn
Four areas of competence.
The Executive Career Program combines four areas that belong together in a leader’s everyday work. AI is at the centre: in every step you work with AI, as a tool, as an agent, as an agent team and as a team member. The other three areas make sure this turns into a product, a process or a business.
AI Fluency
Put key technologies such as LLMs and AI platforms into context, use digital assistants productively and build your own AI agents.
Agile Working
Really understand problems and turn ideas into testable products with design thinking, prototyping and agile methods.
Startup mindset
Develop business ideas, win markets and customers, plan budget and funding, and pitch convincingly.
Applied Tech & Risk
Understand megatrends and new business models, assess the risks of digitalisation and AI realistically, including cyber risk, and defend your case in a simulated investor negotiation.
How you work with AI, step by step
- Module 1ToolYou use AI deliberately for research, analysis, writing and your own assistants.
- Module 2AgentAn AI agent completes entire work steps on its own; you set the goal and the frame.
- Module 3Agent teamSeveral agents share the work; you orchestrate and review.
- Module 4Team memberAI works alongside the team; you lead people and AI together to the result.
In addition: self-marketing and portfolio careers, personal career feedback and a network of Fellows and Faculty.
Who it’s for
For senior professionals responsible for new technologies.
The Executive Career Program is aimed at senior professionals with leadership experience or a university degree who are, or will soon be, responsible for new technologies.
Leaders and management who need to introduce, assess or budget for AI in their area and want to have a real say rather than just delegate.
Professionals facing their next step who want to expand their profile with AI, agile methods and startup experience, also with a view to a portfolio career.
Project, product and innovation managers who want to turn ideas into testable prototypes faster.
Future founders who want to get to know pitching, fundraising and budgeting from a startup perspective. From summer 2027, there is also AI Business Fluency and Entrepreneurship for this.
Requirements
Leadership experience or a university degree, your own laptop, and a willingness to work with international tech and AI terminology. In English-language cohorts, perfect English is not required; German-language courses may also include sessions in English with international Faculty. No programming skills are needed.
The peer network
You learn in a cohort of experienced professionals from different industries. Faculty and team deliberately create opportunities for you to connect beyond your own team, including four networking lunches and an after-work beer. What you make of it is up to you, and that is exactly where the opportunity lies.
Less lecture hall. More frontier.
Program
16 course days in four modules.
The Executive Career Program comprises 16 course days in four modules, on site at Launchspace Zürich and in individual online sessions. Content and Faculty are the same in both formats.
IntensiveThe modules run over four weeks: Monday to Wednesday mostly full days on site (09:00 to 17:00), on Thursday an online session in the afternoon and evening.
Part-time (from April 2027)The same 16 course days in 5 blocks of 3 days every two weeks: Thursday and Friday 13:30 to 19:30, Saturday 08:30 to 16:30, around 10 weeks.
Hands-on: You work in a team on a startup or innovation case. Input is hands-on and intensive; most of the time is spent trying things out, building and presenting.
Understand
AI as a toolYou make sense of megatrends, new business models and key technologies such as LLMs, and use Design Thinking and customer conversations to find the problem worth solving. From day one you use AI as a tool: for research, analysis and your own digital assistants.
Build
AI as an agentThe idea becomes a product: using Design Thinking, Rapid Prototyping and agile methods, your team develops a first prototype. AI agents take over entire work steps on their own. Plus insights into how funding and everyday founder life in Switzerland really work.
Scale
AI as an agent teamYou learn how startups build marketing, sales and branding on a small budget and pitch convincingly. To do so, you build your own AI agents and let them work together as a team. You assess the risks of digitalisation and AI realistically.
Decide
AI as a team memberAI sits at the table as a team member: together you make budget and funding concrete and negotiate your case with an AI investor in the ATLASS AI Business Simulation. You position yourself for your next step. The programme closes with the SAQ exam and a final day with an apéro.
AI tools in the program
The tools you work with.
In the program you work with current AI tools, which we select on an ongoing basis according to their best current capability.
Core tools in pro versions
- OpenAI ChatGPT
- Anthropic Claude
- Perplexity
- Microsoft 365 with Copilot
A selection of these is made available to you during the program.
Further tools
- Slack
- Miro
- Google Workspace
- Notion
- NotebookLM
- Gamma
- Canva
- Figma
- Looka
- HeyGen
- Synthesia
- ElevenLabs
- Suno
- Replit
- Lovable
- Cursor
- Wispr Flow
- + specialised tools depending on the case
A selection of these is used in the program.
This list is illustrative and not exhaustive. Selection, providers, versions and licence scope may change at any time. There is no entitlement to specific tools, versions or licences. The GAT terms and conditions apply.
Qualification
Two complementary credentials.
The GAT xMBA certificate shows your applied competence on your own case. The personal certification AI Business Professional (SAQ) tests your knowledge independently.
xMBA certificate: AI Business Fluency
- Issued by
- Graduate School of Applied Technology & Management (GAT)
- Requirement
- Final exam passed as part of the ATLASS AI Business Simulation
- Validity
- unlimited
AI Business Professional (SAQ)
- Issued by
- SAQ, personal certification according to ISO/IEC 17024
- Requirement
- SAQ exam passed
- Validity
- 3 years, recertification possible
You are admitted with at least 80 % course attendance. Included is the Self-Learning Deep Dive: Swiss Federal Diploma “AI Business Specialist” to prepare for the federal professional examination AI Business Specialist (CHF 2'990 on its own).
What comes next: AI Business Fluency is Level 1 of the Executive Career Programs. Graduates become GAT alumni and can move straight into the AI Business Leadership programme (Level 2). The EMBA title requires successful completion of the xMBA plus the AI Business Leadership programme.
Go to AI Business LeadershipFaculty
Entrepreneurs as Faculty.
Our faculty members have walked the paths they teach. Confirmed for the programme:
Martin MeyerFounder GAT, CEO ATLASS Technology AGCourse Director, Technologies, CX, Simulation, Portfolio CareerChristina KehlFounder GAT, entrepreneur, board member and investorProgram Co-Founder, Startup RollercoasterNiklaus MoorTransformation & Change Manager, SECODesign Thinking & Product DevelopmentJonas BärtschFounder, InnovetoPrototyping & Agile WorkingDanielle HeerCFO & Lecturer; GAT Chapter Lead Silicon ValleyBudgeting, Financing & Fundraising
Gabi TroxlerCo-Founder feey, SEO consultantMarketing, Sales, Pitches & Branding
Marc RuefFounder, scip AGCyber Risk & Security
Jamie MeyerStudent at ETH Zurich, lecturer at the Graduate SchoolAI Tools & AI AgentsFacts, prices and dates
Introductory, alumni and partner price CHF 8'990.
Choose your cohort and request your place. Places per cohort are deliberately limited.
- Format
- Intensive: 16 course days in 4 weeks
- Part-time: the same 16 course days in 5 blocks of 3 days every two weeks, around 10 weeks (from April 2027)
- Course times
- Intensive: Monday to Wednesday mostly full days, 09:00 to 17:00; Thursday online session in the afternoon and evening
- Part-time: Thursday and Friday 13:30 to 19:30, Saturday 08:30 to 16:30
- Please arrive 15 to 30 minutes early for coffee and networking
- Language
- Course: German or English, depending on the cohort
- Faculty: international faculty members possible in German-language courses too
- Exam: German or English
- Location
- Launchspace Zürich, 2nd floor, Albulastrasse 55, 8048 Zurich
- Online: individual sessions via Zoom
- Price
- CHF 8'990 Introductory, alumni and partner price
- incl. SAQ exam fee and GAT xMBA exam fee
- Included
- Self-Learning Deep Dive: Swiss Federal Diploma “AI Business Specialist”
- SAQ exam including exam fee
- GAT xMBA exam including exam fee
- ATLASS AI Business Simulation
- Digital materials
- What to bring
- Notebook: at least 16 GB RAM recommended, battery or cable for around 8 hours
- Online sessions: headset and stable Wi-Fi
- Getting there
- Train: 5 to 10 minutes on foot from Zürich Altstetten station, around 15 minutes from Zürich HB by S-Bahn
- Bus: line 31 to “Letzibach”
- Car: Parcandi parking on level -2, bookable via app
Introductory, alumni and partner price
CHF 8'990
Choose a cohort
Under Course schedule you can see all dates and times of each cohort, also as a PDF to download.
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As of 29.10.2026, subject to change. On site at Launchspace Zürich, Albulastrasse 55, 8048 Zurich; online sessions via Zoom. Please be on site 15 to 30 minutes before the course starts.
Further variants with their own page
Optional
“AI Loop” subscription
So you stay on top of things after the programme: a curated Weekly Tech Update, full access to the AI Tool Navigator and four update workshops a year, two in the evening at Launchspace Zürich and two online. CHF 990 for alumni, CHF 1'900 for everyone else. Can be booked at any time via the GAT website as soon as it is available.
Join the waiting listFunding
Your education, your decision.
Developing at senior level also means taking responsibility for funding. The Executive Career Program AI Business Fluency is designed as an investment in your own career. That is why self-funding is at its core: it lets you decide freely on timing, format and your next step.
Other routes are possible as a supplement, also in combination: your employer, fully or partly, as part of company training; an RAV (regional employment centre) training grant via an individual course application (the decision lies with the RAV and is always individual); or an outplacement budget, for example as part of a separation or a social plan. We are happy to work out the right route with you, in the info session or in a personal conversation.
Tax deductionIn Switzerland, you can deduct self-funded costs for career-oriented further education from your taxable income. For direct federal tax, the maximum is CHF 13'000 per year and person (tax period 2025; the amount is adjusted periodically); the cantons have their own maximums. Costs covered by your employer or third parties are not deductible. The practice of your tax administration is decisive.
Grants and info sessionsAn overview of grants and funding programmes is available from the Innovationsverband Schweizer Arbeitsmarkt (ISA). In our info sessions we discuss funding in detail, and you can ask your individual questions.
Funding guideAll funding routes and notes for this programme in one place. Download funding guide
For HR and companies
AI Business Fluency for your employees.
In the programme, your employees put digital assistants to productive use and build a prototype and their own AI agent. They practise agile methods on a startup or innovation case. Plus the risk and cost side: cyber risk, budgeting and financing. What they learn, they apply directly in their day-to-day work while studying part-time.
Request corporate terms- Easy to plan part-time: the same 16 course days in 5 blocks of 3 days every two weeks; for fast development, the Intensive in four weeks as well
- Assessed credential: final exam as part of the ATLASS AI Business Simulation and personal certification AI Business Professional (SAQ) according to ISO/IEC 17024, not just a certificate of attendance
- Clear pathway: Level 1 of the Executive Career Programs, leading to the AI Business Leadership programme and the EMBA
- Outplacement and social plan: the programme can be added to your outplacement training offering, also as part of a social plan
- Terms: partner price for partner organisations and their members; corporate terms and closed cohorts on request
- Bespoke programmes: we develop tailored programmes for questions from your own company on request
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Why is the program called AI Business Fluency and not AI Fluency?
Because AI only has an impact when the business changes too. Simply putting AI on top of existing processes rarely makes a noticeable difference. Studies by BCG, McKinsey and MIT show that most of the value comes from redesigning workflows, responsibilities and roles. The program therefore combines AI with business, methods and mindset.
Is AI Business Fluency just an AI course?
No. You learn to use AI as a tool, an agent, an agent team and a team member. Just as important is how you reshape processes, teams and business models so that AI can unfold its potential. You work on a continuous case with Design Thinking, agile methods and a startup mindset.
Which AI tools do I work with in the program?
With current AI tools that we select on an ongoing basis according to their best capability. Of the core tools in pro versions, a selection is made available to you during the program, for example OpenAI ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, Perplexity or Microsoft 365 with Copilot. In addition, we use a selection of further tools, such as Slack, Miro, Google Workspace, Notion, NotebookLM, Canva, Figma, HeyGen, ElevenLabs, Suno, Replit, Lovable, Cursor or Wispr Flow. The list is illustrative and not exhaustive; there is no entitlement to specific tools, versions or licences.
What does AI Business Fluency mean?
You can assess AI in business, apply it and make decisions about it. In the programme, you work hands-on with LLMs, digital assistants and AI agents and combine this with Agile Working, startup methods and Applied Tech.
How does this AI training differ from a CAS in Artificial Intelligence?
The difference lies in the way you work: AI Business Fluency comprises 16 course days with a continuous team case, the ATLASS AI Business Simulation and SAQ personal certification. You build things yourself instead of attending lectures.
Do I need programming skills?
No. Prototypes and agents are created with Vibe Coding, guided step by step.
What language is the programme taught in?
German or English, depending on the cohort; the language is shown for each cohort. Even in German-language courses, international faculty members may hold individual sessions in English, because working with AI is international. You can take the SAQ exam in German or English.
What happened to the xMBA AI-Powered Career Bootcamp?
The xMBA Executive Training: AI Business Fluency is the successor programme. The xMBA AI-Powered Career Bootcamp was offered by the Innovationsverband Schweizer Arbeitsmarkt (ISA) and already delivered by GAT. Due to its rapid growth, the association can no longer act as the host organisation itself, so GAT now takes over as sole provider, with the same course director and the same faculty. ISA remains a development partner. Existing bookings and assignments remain valid in 2027 and are fully covered.
Is there a part-time option?
Yes. From Q2 2027, AI Business Fluency is also available part-time, in 5 blocks of 3 days every two weeks, Thursday and Friday 13:30 to 19:30, Saturday 08:30 to 16:30, with the same 16 course days, content and credentials as the Intensive.
What happens if I miss a course day?
To be admitted to the SAQ exam, you need at least 80 % course attendance. If a date clashes, let us know early at team [at] swiss-gat.ch.
What comes after AI Business Fluency?
The EMBA Executive Training: AI Business Leadership (Level 2). As an alumnus or alumna, you join directly.
How long is the SAQ certificate valid?
Three years. After that, you can renew it through a recertification training for alumni; the SAQ fee for this is separate.
Does the programme prepare me for the Swiss Federal Diploma AI Business Specialist?
Yes. The Self-Learning Deep Dive: Swiss Federal Diploma “AI Business Specialist” is included. In addition, it prepares you in self-study for all 28 competencies of the federal professional examination AI Business Specialist. You take the exam itself with ICT-Berufsbildung Schweiz; the exam fee is not included.
Is there a federal subsidy from SERI (SBFI)?
For AI Business Fluency, inclusion in the SERI (SBFI) reporting list from 2027 has been applied for. A federal subsidy (50 % refund of the course fee) is then possible if you additionally use the Self-Learning Deep Dive: Swiss Federal Diploma “AI Business Specialist” and sit the federal professional examination AI Business Specialist. In that case, however, the exam fee of ICT-Berufsbildung Schweiz (CHF 3'000) is also due.
How do I register?
Choose your cohort above and request your place, or join the next info session first.
For HR and companies
Can we register employees as a company?
Yes. You can register individual employees for a cohort or send several people together. For multiple registrations, closed cohorts, bespoke programmes and inclusion in your outplacement offering, company terms are available on request: team@swiss-gat.ch.
How much working time does the programme take?
16 course days. Part-time in 5 blocks of 3 days every two weeks, Thursday and Friday 13:30 to 19:30 and Saturday 08:30 to 16:30, over about ten weeks. Intensive in four weeks, Monday to Wednesday on site and online on Thursday.
What does the programme bring our company?
Your employees use digital assistants productively, build a prototype and their own AI agent, and practise agile methods on a startup or innovation case. Cyber risk, budgeting and funding are covered as well. The programme concludes with the personal certification AI Business Professional (SAQ) according to ISO/IEC 17024.
Can the company cover the costs?
Yes, fully or partly, for example as part of company training. We are happy to discuss terms for companies and partner organisations: team@swiss-gat.ch.
Executive Career Programs
Ready for your next step?
Join the next info session, meet Faculty and Fellows and find out how the Executive Career Program AI Business Fluency can take you further.