Driving complex thinking and technological entrepreneurship with artificial intelligence: a mixed methods study

AI technologies offer unique capabilities that enhance collaboration and creativity among students by providing novel insights, generating diverse perspectives, and triggering the development of innovative thinking as a sub-competency of the mega-competency of complex thinking. Regarding entrepreneurial skills development, applying AI-powered tools, such as natural language processing on digital educational platforms, allows students to engage in dynamic ideation processes for entrepreneurial projects with social, technological, and scientific approaches. This article explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI) as a valuable resource for fostering creative idea generation within co-creation strategies for university students. In a mixed-method analysis, we obtained valuable information regarding engagement through co-creation approaches. This paper describes the early implementation stages of the introductory course in technological entrepreneurship, applying the educational platform OpenEdR4C in a hybrid workshop with a group of 20 students in a public higher education institution in central Mexico, this being the first group of >900 people reached during 2024. The findings show that (a) the students are prone to use and explore AI tools in a natural and immediate manner, (b) interdisciplinary collaboration was effectively promoted through co-creation strategies, and (c) training the tool is crucial to keep engagement and ideas fluency. This is a contribution to the exploration to open new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential learning, and knowledge co-production, ultimately empowering students to develop innovative solutions to complex societal challenges.