Brain & Bots: SCH Prepares Students for AI-Powered Future

In the age of AI, teamwork and face-to-face communication are more important than ever. That’s according to two recent Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership guest speakers, both SCH parents, who helped to demystify artificial intelligence for our students this past semester. Nyron Burke, founder and CEO of Lithero, and Amit Gandhi, Wharton professor, Airbnb vice president and technical fellow, talked about the history (see Gandhi’s graph below that shows its growth) and future of AI. Both gave practical tips on how entrepreneurs might use programs such as ChatGPT to their advantage while maintaining the all-important human connection and knowledge.
 

"To plan your future, you need to read the long-run trends," said Gandhi, detailing the exponential growth of technology, the rise of generative AI, and the evolution of bots to agents. Gandhi (pictured at right) also was part of an SCH Connex last year, which gathered experts to discuss the philosophical and practical implications of generative artificial intelligence (read more here!).

While AI is incredible at information retrieval, it can’t retrieve what isn’t there. That’s the humans’ job, which, said Burke (pictured above, right, with Dr. Dinkins), is why it’s important to understand the right questions to ask, especially as a young person who is still honing their critical thinking skills. Only humans can identify the gaps in knowledge and work toward tightening those gaps. Entrepreneurs, in particular, are seeking the answers to a problem that has not been solved. 

Burke, whose company designs and implements technologies and business processes supporting leading biopharmaceutical companies, took students through the steps of starting a venture. At each phase, from understanding the problem to selling the product, the “human elements” are essential, he says, but AI can (and should!) be used as assistants to save both time and headspace. 

“AI won’t by itself change society, the real impact is what it’ll free human beings to do,” said Burke. “You have to think, ‘What can I outsource so I can focus on higher level things?’”

Students and faculty have been piloting AI in the classroom, using Flint AI and other tools, specifically in the CEL space. In the meantime, an SCH task force continues to assess how we can approach AI in school. 

“How much will change in the next 2 years? Nothing. How much will change in the next 10 years? Everything," said Gandhi. 

Read about this topic from a student's perspective in the latest issue of The Campus Lantern.