What should entrepreneurial education cultivate when artificial intelligence can increasingly perform tasks once considered distinctly human? This question provided a common focus for the keynote, parallel presentations and shared reflections at the 2nd International Conference on Entrepreneurial Education, held at HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Ghent on 27 October 2026. Co-organized by the EU-China Higher Education Research Center (ECHE), HOGENT E-Lab, VLAIO, TU/e Innovation Space and the Xerius-HOGENT Chair on Entrepreneurial Learning at VUB, this event brought together educators, researchers and practitioners to connect teaching practice with research on how entrepreneurial learning can respond to technological change.
Reorienting entrepreneurial education towards human capabilities
Prof. Xiaozhou XU of Zhejiang University, UNESCO Chairholder in Entrepreneurship Education, delivered the keynote, Challenges and Strategies: Entrepreneurship Education Innovation in the AI Era. His presentation examined the social implications of technological change, developments in AI education in China, and possibilities for international cooperation in rethinking entrepreneurial education.
Beginning with a historical perspective, Prof. XU argued that technological revolutions can generate prosperity while also disrupting livelihoods and social arrangements. He invited participants to consider how AI might affect the value of human work, independent thinking and the distribution of technological benefits. He called for a shift in focus, from preparing students to adapt to technological change towards examining how education can preserve human agency and moral responsibility.
Connecting educational practice with research
The parallel sessions developed these questions through complementary practice and research tracks. Contributions addressed experiential course design, critical thinking, generative AI in marketing education, storytelling and sustainable entrepreneurship. Together, these exchanges connected practical educational choices with research questions about learning, inclusion and the conditions under which entrepreneurial capabilities develop.
ECHE research on AI and entrepreneurial leadership
A particular ECHE contribution came from Dr. Zhao CHENG, a postdoctoral researcher at the ECHE, who presented work on AI and entrepreneurial leadership. By examining conceptual structures of entrepreneurial leadership and their implications for entrepreneurial education, this presentation explored how AI is reported to shape opportunity exploration, decision-making, experimentation and entrepreneurial learning. It considered both the potential for human–AI cognitive complementarity and the risks of dependence and capability erosion. These perspectives raise questions about how educational programmes can use AI while continuing to develop learners’ own judgement and leadership capabilities. One central implication concerned assessment. Evaluating what students produce with AI provides only part of the picture, educators also need to examine what capabilities students acquire through the learning process. For entrepreneurial leadership development, this means attending to how learners interpret unfamiliar situations, make decisions and work with others, alongside the outputs they achieve.
Judgement, resilience and a shared agenda for collaboration
The closing reflections returned to entrepreneurship as a willingness to engage with uncertain futures, extending beyond business creation or an alternative route into employment. Participants discussed the importance of critical judgement and the role of education in creating spaces where learners can experiment, reflect and develop resilience. The discussion also questioned whether conventional performance indicators could adequately capture entrepreneurial learning and invited closer attention to how entrepreneurial capabilities developed over time.
For ECHE, these questions connect research on leadership and educational change with the practical concerns of educators across different institutional contexts. ECHE welcomes dialogue and collaboration with researchers, educators and practitioners to explore new pathways for entrepreneurial education and leadership in the near futu
