Hi everyone,
The past couple weeks have been a total blast! I’ve been back in the classroom teaching AI to UT’s Exec Ed exchange program with two schools: ESCP and IPADE. It’s been an incredibly fun experience, partially because it’s allowed me to return to my academic roots (back before I ticked off my PhD advisors by choosing tech over an ivory tower) and also because it’s allowed me to see how today’s top MBAs are thinking about AI.
From Zero to Prototype in 90 Minutes
We did something special with the ESCP cohort. They started with Mellie Price, who used the Blue Ocean Strategy to help them conceptualize a brand-new product. Then, I stepped in for the AI workshop. We ran them through a handful of tools to ideate, do deep research, crunch data, and build a slick pitch deck for VCs. They even “vibe coded” a working prototype of their product.
A process that usually takes 6 months and $100K was condensed into 1.5 hours and about $100 in SaaS fees. That’s not a typo. It’s mind-blowing for the people in the room, and it’s the exact kind of “Intelligence Revolution” I talk about in my book.
AI Shark Tank: The Ultimate Reality Check
The best part, though, is the “Shark Tank” moment. Once they have their concept, we run it through our panel of AI judges to help them refine their ideas before the final presentation (to human judges) on Friday. These aren’t just chatbots saying “good job.” They give quick, brutal, and thoughtful feedback on where the product is poised for success and exactly where it’s going to fail.
It’s fun to watch, but it proves a point I make in Future Proof: most people use LLMs to write emails or ask for fitness advice. They aren’t using AI as a thought partner, a brainstorming companion, or an adversarial client who can help them harden their ideas. That is a massive miss.
Join Me: The UT AI Masterclass
I often get asked by friends how they can join one of these workshops if their company hasn’t booked me for a keynote or a workshop.
Good news: I’m partnering with UT Austin to deliver an AI Masterclass the week of May 18-22nd.
Best,
Dr. Michael “House” Housman