When a Harvard Business School student said, “I ask the FRC bot all the stupid questions I’m too embarrassed to raise in front of 90 of my peers,” they weren’t just being honest, they were capturing the very real human need for a safe, non-judgmental learning environment.
At HBS, the custom AI “FRC bot” transformed how 930 students learned accounting. It wasn’t about replacing teachers—it was about extending support beyond the classroom walls.
Students used the AI bot to:
- Break down complex accounting terms (“Explain E-liabilities in simple terms.”)
- Ask questions at night (60% of interactions happened after hours).
- Practice and prepare for exams and discussions.
“Without AI, I honestly don’t know how I’d make it through this class.”
“During midterms I used AI to generate practice exam questions and test my knowledge.”
Still, many students recognized AI’s limits:
“Struggling to figure things out myself is when I really learn… I worry if I lean too hard on AI, exam day will come, and suddenly I’ll realize I know nothing.”
And here’s where we as educators step in.
AI is a powerful tool, but it can’t replace the one-on-one mentoring, coaching, and conversation that make learning personal and transformative. No matter how smart the bot is, it can’t read a room, sense frustration, or adapt to a student’s body language.
We remind our learners: There are no stupid questions. You can always ask us or your peers, but if it's 11 p.m. and you’re stuck, it’s nice to have an AI tutor ready to help.
For supply chain education, this offers a blueprint: use AI to empower learners, fill knowledge gaps, and personalize learning—but never forget the human side of teaching. AI doesn’t replace learning. It supports it, so students can come to class more confident, more prepared, and ready to think bigger. Take the chance!
More about the FRC-Bot of Harvard Business School: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/ai-tutor-bots-harvard-business-school/
