Six PGDM student teams at FIIB, New Delhi, built playable AI business games in nine days, turning real decisions in quick commerce, real estate, hiring, investing and FMCG branding into experiences industry leaders could test first-hand.
Industry guests at a campus event usually watch students present. But, on 9th October at FIIB’s New Delhi campus, six select PGDM student teams were ready to hand them the controls. More than 50 industry leaders moved from one demo station to the next, playing each game, testing its AI and asking how the same logic could work in their own businesses.
What Was the Gamified AI Business Projects Showcase at FIIB?
The showcase had one rule: no slides, no static dashboards. Every game had to place the player in a real business scenario, use AI visibly and end with a clear score. PGDM students had from 28 September to 6 October to deliver a working build, with faculty playing through every game at two checkpoints.
Six AI Business Games Built by FIIB MBA Students
1. Blinkit Control Room: AI in Quick-Commerce Operations
Team: Rajat Dargar, Vaidehi Arya, Amisha Kumari
- What it is: Run a South Delhi dark store at evening peak as traffic, a rider shortage, a stock-out and rain hit within 30 minutes. An AI copilot recommends actions, and the final score is measured against an AI autopilot.
- Skills learnt: Operations management, real-time decision-making and weighing service against cost.
2. Build Your Acre: AI in Real Estate Planning
Team: Sarthak Mishra, Shuchi Sharma, Sourav Yadav
- What it is: Design a home on a Delhi NCR plot within budget, scored live on investment, lifestyle, sustainability and safety, then try to beat the AI’s own plan.
- Skills learnt: Investment appraisal, budgeting and balancing returns with sustainability and risk.
3. Talent Auction: AI in Hiring and Team Building
Team: Aniket Sinha, Rahul Saxena, Krishnakant Agrawal
- What it is: Bid live for candidates, build a team and watch it face a business problem and a surprise shock, with every point won or lost explained.
- Skills learnt: Strategic HR thinking, budget allocation and why the best individuals do not always make the best team.
4. Bullsy: AI in Stock Market Learning
Team: Vishonika, Karan Siwas, Kritika
- What it is: Trade 15 Indian stocks across five sectors through eight news-driven rounds, then compare returns with the market and a fixed deposit as an AI coach explains what could have gone better.
- Skills learnt: Portfolio construction, reading news for market impact and managing risk.
5. AI Word Wars: AI in Brand Engagement
Team: Aditi Singh, Palak Bansal, Tanishq Anand, Isha Choudhary
- What it is: Explore ITC’s brands, products and values through a series of AI-built word challenges.
- Skills learnt: Brand strategy, gamification design and building with AI without a technical team.
6. HUL Hangman Game: AI in Brand Recall
Team: Laiba Arzoo, Shriya Srivastava, Manuj Dhiman, Anushka Singh
- What it is: Match HUL product cards against the clock. Every wrong match draws one more part of the hangman, while correct matches surface product insights and taglines.
- Skills learnt: Consumer behaviour, brand recall strategy and reward-led engagement.
How Industry Leaders Engaged With Student-Built AI Projects
Industry leaders tested the AI’s recommendations, compared scores and pushed teams on real-world use. Each team had a business case ready. “We see so many advertisements today, but does simply showing up still matter?” said Laiba Arzoo, a PGDM student on the HUL Hangman Game team. “So we turned product recognition into a recall game. Players match the right pair, earn rewards and redeem them to buy the product.“
“Recruiters can use it to check students’ knowledge of their products, and companies can use it to train sales teams on new launches,” said Aditi Singh of the AI Word Wars team. “It doesn’t need an IT team. A non-tech person can build and expand it with the help of AI.“
How FIIB Integrates AI Into Its MBA Curriculum
In every game, the AI competes, advises or evaluates, but the player still makes the call. That mirrors how AI is used in FIIB’s PGDM classroom: as a tool to work with, question and, when needed, overrule.
“AI earns trust when it advises you with reasons and numbers, not just answers,” said Shuchi Sharma of the Build Your Acre team. “A home is built once in a lifetime. Everyone deserves to see what it looks like before paying for it.“
The teams were mentored by Dr. Rubal Rathi and Dr. Shardul Shankar, who coordinated the showcase, with Prof. Vibhor Kataria, Dr. Ranjit Kaur, Dr. Wajid Ali, Dr. Sorabh Bajaj, Dr. Priya Sharma and Dr. Tavleen Kaur.
Industry-First Learning at FIIB
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Radhika Shrivastava, President and CEO – FIIB, spoke of an industry-first school that brings industry “into the kitchen” while learning is still taking shape, not just to taste the finished dish on placement day. The showcase put that into practice: industry leaders did not wait for a placement interview to judge what students could do. They played it, challenged it and shared feedback while it could still shape the next build.
For the students, the takeaway goes beyond six working games. They learnt to move from a business problem to a working AI prototype in nine days, and to know when to trust the machine and when to overrule it. As AI becomes available to everyone, that judgment is what will set future managers apart.
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