Universities Deploy AI Professor Avatars to Coach Students

Universities including Harvard Business School are deploying generative AI as digital replicas of professors and virtual teaching assistants. The systems let students rehearse investor pitches and boardroom presentations repeatedly, extending access to feedback beyond scheduled class time. The approach marks a shift from using AI mainly to answer questions toward simulated, practice-based instruction, while raising broader questions about how universities should divide teaching, mentoring and assessment between software and faculty.

More than 100 universities have begun using the technology, with recent deployments focused on presentation practice and course support. Research cited in the report found that AI teaching assistants improved student grades and learning outcomes, though no specific effect size was disclosed. Administrators and professors say the tools are intended to handle repeatable coaching and give faculty more time for higher-value interaction, rather than replace instructors or transfer ultimate responsibility for teaching to an automated avatar.