Harvard Business School Uses AI Clones in Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

Harvard Business School has launched an AI-powered online bootcamp named Foundry, which employs AI-generated "clones" of its faculty members to deliver entrepreneurship education. This innovative approach aims to make the expertise of Harvard professors accessible to a broader audience of aspiring founders, extending beyond the physical campus. The eight-week program includes weekly live sessions and an AI toolbox designed to guide participants through the entire process of starting a company, from initial idea generation to pitching to investors.

Foundry's AI instructors are based on the likeness, teaching style, and specific areas of expertise of real Harvard faculty members who volunteered for the initiative. While not intended as exact replicas, these AI entities can access extensive knowledge bases to provide comprehensive guidance. Senior lecturer Jeff Bussgang, one of the faculty members whose likeness was used, acknowledged the technology's "creepy" aspect but noted its popularity among students. The development of Foundry's AI capabilities evolved from an initial text-based model, similar to ChatGPT, after early users of a trial version requested a more guided experience. Testing also indicated that incorporating a professor's photograph into an AI chatbot significantly boosted user engagement, leading to the current iteration of the program.

The Foundry bootcamp was officially launched in April. While the majority of prospective founders access Foundry through university-affiliated programs, including 760 participants in its summer sessions, the bootcamp is also available directly to individuals. The program's cost is $699 for individual enrollment. This initiative represents a novel application of AI in higher education, leveraging artificial intelligence to democratize access to specialized knowledge and mentorship in the competitive field of entrepreneurship. The use of AI faculty clones addresses the scalability challenges often faced by traditional educational institutions in providing personalized guidance to a large number of students.

The integration of AI clones aims to provide a consistent and scalable delivery of educational content, replicating the teaching methodologies and insights of experienced faculty. This allows for a more personalized learning journey for each participant, as the AI can adapt to individual learning paces and specific questions. The program's design acknowledges the evolving landscape of education, where technology plays an increasingly crucial role in enhancing learning experiences and outcomes. By offering an AI-driven platform, Harvard Business School is positioning itself at the forefront of educational innovation, exploring new avenues to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs with practical skills and knowledge.