OBS's Executive Education organised a workshop on AI and the transformation of work for OP Financial Group

The Executive Education unit of Oulu Business School organised an internal workshop for the sales managers of OP Financial Group on 6 May 2026, focusing on artificial intelligence research and the practical use of AI in working life. The workshop was organised in collaboration with EMBA alumnus Tero Kasanen representing OP Financial Group, and, at his request, the content was strongly grounded in academic research.

The workshop expert was postdoctoral researcher Tero Huhtala, whose presentation and exercises focused on the concept of agency in the use of artificial intelligence. Discussions also explored how AI is changing ways of working and what kinds of capabilities will be needed in the future world of work.

The aim of the workshop was to provide participants with research-based perspectives on the adoption of AI and to support organisations in preparing for the transformation of work in a practical and interactive way. The event combined current research knowledge, collaborative discussion, and the participants’ own experiences of leadership and working life.

According to Huhtala, the growing use of AI does not diminish the importance of humans in working life — rather, it highlights it.

“In a world increasingly enhanced by artificial intelligence, the unique added value of humans does not disappear; it becomes even more important.”