Harvard Business School is using AI-generated versions of instructors in an eight-week online program for entrepreneurs. The $699 HBS Foundry bootcamp includes weekly live sessions with instructors, while avatars created by startup HeyGen provide individual feedback during practice pitches and simulated board meetings.
New York Times reporter Sarah Kessler tested the system by pitching an AI-generated version of Flybridge Capital co-founder and course instructor Jeff Bussgang. Her proposal, described as “Uber for bananas,” did not impress either Bussgang or his digital counterpart. Kessler observed that the avatar maintained a noticeably frozen smile while she spoke.
Project director Katharina Rings said the AI portion was initially imagined as something closer to a chatbot. Feedback from a trial changed that direction: students asked for a more guided experience, leading the program toward instructor avatars rather than a conventional text interface.
The reception described in the report is mixed but not broadly negative. Foundry participants who spoke with Kessler said they liked the avatars. Bussgang called his own digital copy a little “creepy,” while also saying that his students love it. The program does not replace live instruction entirely; instead, it uses the avatars to make personalized practice feedback available between or alongside the weekly sessions.