Harvard Business School Adds AI Instructor Avatars To $699 Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
aiinsider ·
Harvard Business School has integrated AI instructor avatars into its eight-week, $699 HBS Foundry bootcamp for entrepreneurs. The avatars, built using technology from startup HeyGen, provide individualized feedback during practice pitches and board meetings, supplementing weekly live instructor sessions. New York Times reporter Sarah Kessler tested the system by pitching an AI-generated version of Flybridge Capital co-founder Jeff Bussgang, who remained unconvinced by her business concept while displaying a notably fixed smile. Project director Katharina Rings explained that the AI component was initially conceived as a simpler chatbot but became more guided after student feedback from an initial trial. Despite some general skepticism among college students about AI tools, Foundry participants responded positively to the avatars. Bussgang found encountering his own digital likeness somewhat unsettling but noted that students embraced the feature enthusiastically.
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