Harvard Business School's $699, eight-week HBS Foundry bootcamp for entrepreneurs is using AI avatars created by startup HeyGen to provide individual feedback during practice pitches and board meetings. While live sessions with instructors occur weekly, the AI avatars handle feedback sessions. New York Times reporter Sarah Kessler tested the system by pitching an AI-generated copy of Flybridge Capital co-founder Jeff Bussgang on a "Uber for bananas" idea—both the real Bussgang and his digital version were unimpressed, though Kessler noted the avatar displayed a "noticeably frozen smile."
Project director Katharina Rings said she initially envisioned the AI component as more of a chatbot, but after a trial release, students requested a more guided experience. Unlike some college students who've expressed negative feelings toward AI, Foundry participants told Kessler they appreciate the avatars. Bussgang himself called his digital copy "a little creepy," but noted, "My students love it."