Harvard Business School is using AI-generated faculty avatars to provide individualized feedback to entrepreneurs enrolled in its HBS Foundry bootcamp. The eight-week program costs $699 and combines weekly live instructor sessions with AI-led practice exercises, including startup pitches and simulated board meetings.
The avatars were created using technology from HeyGen and are designed to resemble real HBS faculty members. They give participants feedback during exercises that would otherwise require significantly more instructor time.
AI Avatars Handle Practice Sessions
New York Times reporter Sarah Kessler tested the system by pitching an AI-generated version of Flybridge Capital co-founder and HBS lecturer Jeff Bussgang.
Her fictional proposal involved creating an “Uber for bananas.” Both Bussgang and his AI counterpart were reportedly unconvinced, although Kessler noted that the avatar maintained an unusually fixed smile during the presentation.
Foundry project director Katharina Rings said the team originally expected the AI feature to function more like a chatbot. Feedback from an early trial showed that students wanted a more structured and guided interaction, leading the school toward the avatar format.
Students Have Responded Positively
The use of AI in education remains divisive, with some university students expressing opposition to the growing use of generative AI on campuses.
Participants in the HBS Foundry program, however, told Kessler that they liked interacting with the avatars.
Bussgang acknowledged that seeing an AI version of himself could feel somewhat “creepy,” but said his students have responded positively to it.
The system allows Harvard Business School to provide repeated, individualized practice without requiring faculty members to personally attend every session. Live instructors remain part of the program through weekly sessions, while the avatars handle additional practice and feedback between those meetings.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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