HBS Foundry, the entrepreneurship training program of Harvard Business School, is introducing AI avatars to provide personalized feedback to students through digital mentors. The eight-week program costs $699 and includes live classes with real mentors each week. In simulation pitch sessions and board meetings, AI avatars provide guidance and feedback. These avatars are developed by the AI startup HeyGen.

Virtual Humans, Virtual Idols, Metaverse (2) AI Painting

According to a report in The New York Times, journalist Sarah Kessler used an AI avatar of Jeff Bussgang, co-founder of Flybridge Capital, for a startup pitch. The virtual Bussgang provided feedback on her "banana version of Uber" idea, but the digital image was criticized for having a clearly stiff smile.

Kathrina Ringers, the program director, said that the team initially envisioned AI functions more like chatbots, but after the trial version was released, students wanted a more guided interactive experience. Although some college students have negative attitudes towards AI, Foundry participants generally approve of the virtual mentors. Bussgang himself admitted that the digital image was slightly "creepy," but said that students liked it. This experiment shows that AI avatars are moving from content generation into educational training and professional coaching scenarios.