Harvard Offers AI-Powered Entrepreneurship Course With Professor Clones
The $699, eight-week program utilizes AI avatars trained on faculty teachings to assist aspiring founders.
Harvard University's Business School Foundry is offering an eight-week, AI-powered entrepreneurship program that costs $699 and is accessible to aspiring founders beyond the university's student body. The program utilizes AI agents, some of which are digital clones of Harvard professors.
The Foundry program aims to extend Harvard's entrepreneurship education to a wider audience than its typical MBA cohort. According to the course website, the AI is designed to understand individual startup ideas and stages, working alongside participants to build their ventures.
Some of the AI avatars were trained on the teachings and materials of Harvard faculty members, including senior lecturer Jeff Bussgang, who volunteered to help create an AI version of himself. While Bussgang acknowledged finding the technology somewhat "creepy," he noted that students have responded positively to it.
These AI avatars were developed in collaboration with AI avatar company HeyGen. University officials reported a surprisingly positive reception from participants, with many expressing a preference for the AI's guidance when it is based on specific individuals' input.
One reporter who tested the course described the AI avatar of Bussgang as calm and possessing an unmoving smile, noting some unnatural movements in the avatar's appearance. Despite these observations, Bussgang stated that his students "love it."
In addition to the AI resources, the program includes weekly live sessions led by experienced speakers, investors, and Harvard Business School faculty. While students are reportedly embracing the AI avatars, online forums with peers have also proven to be highly popular, highlighting the continued importance of human interaction in the learning process.
Approximately 45% of participants in the summer sessions funded the program themselves, with the remainder being sponsored by their universities. Feedback from users on professional networking sites has indicated strong satisfaction with the Foundry course, with some expressing interest primarily in experiencing the AI cloning technology.