Today, AI-enabled ventures are reaching small businesses, a growing middle class, and the base of the pyramid across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Much of this progress rides on a familiar interface: messaging - millions first came online through WhatsApp, so conversational AI feels instantly intuitive. Yet turning an idea into a durable company demands relentless localization, a sober view of where AI truly adds leverage, and flawless execution in markets with shallow talent pipelines, scarce capital, and fluid regulatory environments. The next frontier is agentic AI - systems that don't just answer questions but act autonomously on behalf of users and businesses. In developing economies this shift is especially consequential: vast pools of structured data sit trapped in legacy systems, and the companies that unlock them gain an immediate moat. Winning requires understanding not just the technology, but the ecosystems, capital structures, and local conditions that determine whether agentic AI creates durable value - or remains an unfulfilled promise.
2 units · GSB Student Option LTR/PF
Today, AI-enabled ventures are reaching small businesses, a growing middle class, and the base of the pyramid across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Much of this progress rides on a familiar interface: messaging - millions first came online through WhatsApp, so conversational AI feels instantly intuitive. Yet turning an idea into a durable company demands relentless localization, a sober view of where AI truly adds leverage, and flawless execution in markets with shallow talent pipelines, scarce capital, and fluid regulatory environments. The next frontier is agentic AI - systems that don't just answer questions but act autonomously on behalf of users and businesses. In developing economies this shift is especially consequential: vast pools of structured data sit trapped in legacy systems, and the companies that unlock them gain an immediate moat. Winning requires understanding not just the technology, but the ecosystems, capital structures, and local conditions that determine whether agentic AI creates durable value - or remains an unfulfilled promise.
Offered in Autumn 2026 at Stanford University.