Liam Blackshaw-Brown was originally skeptical about the capabilities of generative AI.
About a year ago, the now freshman watched as his dad leaned into the tool while building his company, . The company helps its clients learn how their brand appears on answer engines. It鈥檚 an AI spin on search engine optimization.
It was Blackshaw-Brown鈥檚 first real introduction to generative AI, and while he was curious, he also was a bit hesitant.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 completely against it, but I was definitely not an advocate for it,鈥 he said.
That changed quickly upon his arrival to Daniels, as he explored the capabilities of generative AI and recognized its staying power in the business world. His interest blossomed and he鈥檚 now the president and founder of the .
鈥淚 began to see all its capabilities, and it sparked my interest in using a lot of the other models besides just chat. It was interesting to see how many of them worked,鈥 he said. 鈥淔rom there, I could also see it being a tool that I鈥檓 going to need to use in the future too. So, it was a very good thing to get good at.鈥
In addition to founding the AI Club, which has around 20 members from majors across 文轩探花, Blackshaw-Brown spent the early part of this year running a service called AI Reverse Mentor. He offered one-hour Zoom training sessions 鈥渢ailored for leaders who feel they might be 鈥榤issing the wave鈥 and are eager for a fresh perspective to help them onboard into the AI renaissance.鈥
He worked with about 10 different experienced business leaders from around the country, helping them understand the true power of AI and how it could apply to their business.
鈥淎 lot of times, when you show people AI, it鈥檚 kind of scary. It鈥檚 too much almost,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o, I was trying to figure out a way to break it down or at least get the idea started in their mind.鈥
This is something he hopes to continue in the summer, as he鈥檚 well-positioned to share the potential of AI with an older generation.
Blackshaw-Brown鈥檚 interest in AI has also helped connect him with the team at OpenAI, creators of ChatGPT. He was selected as part of a small, nationwide cohort of students who worked directly with OpenAI鈥檚 community team to improve ChatGPT for educational use. As part of the collaboration, he worked with his peers on weekly prompt engineering discussions, where they shared best practices and discussed how AI could be used ethically in the classroom.
He used that connection to help land OpenAI鈥檚 Head of Product Marketing (and Daniels alumna) Coley Czarnecki as a speaker for a recent AI Club event on campus.
As he moves forward in his academic journey, Blackshaw-Brown is excited to see how AI will be further integrated with his business curriculum. He鈥檚 already been impressed with the College鈥檚 faculty and their willingness to let students experiment with cutting-edge technology. With his current focus on AI and his finance major, Blackshaw-Brown is keeping the door open to career opportunities, hoping to find something that melds both of his interests.
