Investing in the age of AI, part 2: Jeff Bussgang | Pioneers of AI

Jeff Bussgang is a general partner at Flybridge Capital Partners and teaches entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School. When he’s not helping his students become future founders, he’s writing books. His latest, The Experimentation Machine, is a guide for founders looking to leverage AI in their startups. In this episode, we surface practical strategies founders can implement today, explore what it means to build an AI-native company, and discuss how to scale without growing. Plus, we take a closer look at recent AI-related deals between the U.S. and Gulf countries — and what they mean for the global AI race — with Fortune’s AI editor, Jeremy Kahn. At the center of AI is people, so we want to hear from you! Share your experiences with AI — or ask us a burning question — by leaving a voicemail at 601-633-2424. Your voice could be featured in a future episode! This episode is brought to you in partnership with Stripe. Chapters: 00:00 “Founders who use AI will replace founders who don't" 01:22 Jeremy Kahn on recent AI news 10:00 What inspired Jeff’s book “The Experimentation Machine” 10:40 Jeff’s origin story 11:46 How Jeff’s background informs his investing 13:26 Jeff’s views on the AI landscape 15:10 AI-native companies 17:23 Building your company with defensibility in mind 20:15 The power of emotional intelligence in AI 21:45 The 10x founder 23:36 How AI accelerates product-market fit 26:59 When will principled thinking be learned? 28:21 Using AI to expand your capacity to build 31:42 Scaling without growing 33:16 Ensuring inclusion in the AI space 35:50 Thinking about the ethics of AI deployment 37:33 Advice to founders in a volatile market 38:44 Being human in the age of AI 🎧 LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pioneers-of-ai/id1763085968 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6gbpjgcqJ40rtPrHnXeOWG 💻 LEARN MORE Our website: https://www.pioneersof.ai/ ⚡JOIN OUR COMMUNITY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pioneersofai/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pioneersofai Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pioneersofai X: https://twitter.com/pioneersofAI TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@pioneersofai 💡ABOUT US Pioneers of AI is your guide to the latest technological frontier. Each week, host Rana el Kaliouby (AI scientist, investor, author, co-founder of Affectiva) is joined by the leading creators, critics, and thinkers behind mind-blowing technology and asks the important questions about how artificial intelligence is changing the way we live. As we venture together into the unknown, Pioneers is your tool to understanding and anticipating what comes next. #artificialintelligence #ai #technology #technology #machinelearning #ranaelkaliouby #pioneersofai #affectiva #aitechnology #futureofai #aiinnovation #aiadvancements #aiethics #aipodcast #aiinterview #techinterview #investors #investing #aiinvesting #jeffbussgang #startup #aistartup #aibusinessideas #startupideas #founders #founderjourney