Leading with AI: CustomGPTs | Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard

On May 7, the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard hosted Leading with AI: Exploring Business and Technology Frontiers. During the conference, this breakout session by Jeff Bussgang explores the transformative potential of advanced AI tools in education and business. For lifelong learners, integrating GPTs into their learning journey offers personalized, real-time feedback and support, enhancing their educational experience. Industry professionals can gain insights into how these AI technologies can revolutionize business models, making operations more efficient and customer interactions more meaningful. Academics will find value in understanding how GPTs can streamline administrative tasks, facilitate dynamic teaching methods, and improve student engagement. This session underscores the broad impact of AI on education and industry, highlighting its role in shaping a more responsive and innovative future.

AI as a Teaching Tool Enhances Student Engagement and Preparation

Jeff Bussgang’s integration of custom GPTs into his HBS classroom provides a compelling case for how AI tools can transform corporate training and development. By deploying “Chat LTV,” a Slackbot integrated into the course’s communication channels, employees can access course content and case studies in real-time, ensuring they are well-prepared for discussions and meetings. This proactive engagement allows managers to monitor employee readiness and understanding, leading to more productive and informed team interactions, ultimately enhancing overall organizational performance.

Personalized Feedback Using AI Promotes Deeper Learning

Bussgang’s innovative use of custom GPTs to deliver personalized feedback on student assignments can be directly applied to corporate performance reviews. These AI tools can provide employees with immediate, detailed feedback, helping them identify strengths and areas for improvement. For executives, this system offers a scalable way to ensure continuous development and foster a culture of learning. By adopting AI-driven feedback mechanisms, businesses can enhance employee performance and engagement, leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction.

AI Tools as Catalysts for Innovation in Education

The rapid evolution of AI, as demonstrated by Bussgang’s work, highlights significant opportunities for corporate innovation. Executives can leverage AI tools to drive innovation processes within their organizations. By using AI for tasks such as brainstorming, prototyping, and market analysis, companies can accelerate their product development cycles and improve strategic decision-making. Bussgang’s approach of integrating AI into the learning and development framework can serve as a model for executives looking to stay competitive in an AI-driven market.

In the Field

Bussgang envisions students creating an “AI Co-Founder” to simulate and understand their customers’ experiences. Using the tool, students can direct the “AI Co-Founder” to become a domain expert in a specified area of interest and have the AI simulate a customer persona in that area to complete a discovery needs analysis. The students can then test their prototypes and mockups with this persona to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of their strategy. This approach not only enriches the educational experience but also equips students with critical skills needed in an AI-driven future.

The AI Co-Founder concept harkens back to the “Follow Me Home” initiative that Scott Cook, the co-founder and chairman of Intuit, created in the 1980s with the launch of the Quicken product. Cook, who participated in the session, noted that during the production of Quicken, engineers observed users in labs testing their products. With the introduction of Follow Me Home, engineers were able to gain a more empathetic understanding of the customer experience by witnessing customers use the product for the first time in their home. Bussgang’s application of the AI Co-Founders concept for customer discovery modernizes this practice and provides startup companies the opportunity to collect data-driven insights, revolutionizing their customer discovery and product development processes.

Meet The Speaker:

Jeff Bussgang | Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School

Jeff Bussgang is a Senior Lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School (HBS), where he teaches courses on entrepreneurship and venture capital. With a rich background in AI, internet startups, and venture capital, he co-founded Flybridge Capital Partners, focusing on AI-driven investments. Bussgang is also an accomplished author and a thought leader in applying AI tools to enhance educational methodologies, making him a pivotal figure in both the entrepreneurial and academic communities.