Elite business education is being stretched into a cheap, repeatable product: Harvard’s HBS Foundry now pairs weekly live teaching with AI avatars that act as practice interlocutors and feedback providers, turning instructor time into on-demand rehearsal eight-week, $699.
TechCrunch reported the avatars were created by HeyGen and are used specifically to deliver feedback during practice pitches and mock board meetings, while live sessions with real instructors continue every week HeyGen-created AI avatars live sessions every week.
The experience is not purely hypothetical. New York Times reporter Sarah Kessler tried pitching to an AI-generated copy of Flybridge co-founder Jeff Bussgang; both the real Bussgang and his digital double were unimpressed by her idea, and Kessler noted the virtual version held a noticeably frozen smile during the pitch AI-generated copy of Jeff Bussgang.
Project director Katharina Rings said she first imagined the feature as a chatbot, but after a trial students asked for a more guided, actor-like interaction, which led to the avatar format being rolled into the eight-week curriculum Katharina Rings.
Reactions are mixed in the wider culture, but Foundry participants reported liking the avatars; some college students elsewhere remain openly negative about being simulated, yet within the bootcamp the avatars appear to be accepted as useful rehearsal partners Foundry participants liked it.
Jeff Bussgang himself called his digital copy a little “creepy,” yet added, “My students love it.” “My students love it.”
For founders the immediate consequence is simple: more practice time for less money, delivered by actor-like AI replicas that extend instructor access rather than replacing live teaching.
