Welcome to the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, analyzing the latest AI Copilot and agent developments from Microsoft and its partners, delving into customer use cases, and exploring how AI plus the Cloud helps customers reimagine their business.
In this episode, Marshall Toplansky, Innovation Professor at Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics, discusses AI Agent & Copilot Summit with Tom Smith. Toplansky is speaking in a fireside chat with Bob Evans on the topic of AI Will Change How People Learn and the Business of Education.
Highlights
Role and Innovation/AI (01:09)
As Professor of Management Science, known as the Innovation Professor, Toplansky focuses on new technologies that help students acquire knowledge and make the institution more efficient. Agentic AI technology can provide real-time monitoring and optimization in both education and business. Toplansky cites the misconception that AI is only about GenAI, like OpenAI and Google Bard. He raises the high costs of education, compliance in education, and the potential for agentic AI to automate and optimize processes. “Imagine what we can do in lowering the cost of education, if we can make this whole thing much more efficient,” he says.
Winning AI Tools and Practices (08:36)
Marshall Toplansky shares an example of Workdone.ai, which uses copilots to monitor business practices and optimize processes. The company identifies patterns and provides recommendations to improve efficiency and predict future workload needs. In the education market, Toplansky mentions Breakout Learning, which uses AI chatbots to engage students before class and provide individualized feedback to teachers.
AI Agent & Copilot Summit is an AI-first event to define opportunities, impact, and outcomes with Microsoft Copilot and agents. Building on its 2025 success, the 2026 event takes place March 17-19 in San Diego. Get more details.
AI in Education: Fireside Chat Preview (13:56)
Previewing his fireside chat, Toplansky discusses the potential for AI to enhance critical thinking skills in education by engaging students in collaborative conversations. Chatbots can help teachers prepare for class by identifying areas where students need more support. AI can create a more interactive and engaging learning environment, with AI acting as a facilitator rather than replacing teachers.
Ask Cloud Wars AI Agent about this analysis
