Episode 68
Brand Story Podcast

The AI Mindset

featuring Conor Grennan

Dean of Students and Head of Generative AI at NYU Stern

Conor Grennan, Dean of Students and Head of Generative AI at NYU Stern, talks about humanizing AI and how to unlock its potential with our president, Steve Gilman.

Think AI is the new Google search engine? It’s actually more human than you might believe. Instead of treating it like a digital transformation tool, we should be treating it as a communication tool – and yes that means greeting it with a hello and providing it with feedback.

AI is software that behaves like a human, and it’s that mindset that Conor helps people understand with his work in generative AI. In this episode, we dive into what the future of AI holds and its impact across various fields and industries. Conor highlights the critical role of communication skills in an era increasingly dominated by generative AI and introduces us to his HTG format for interacting with AI. This episode is a must-listen for anyone sitting on the sidelines “waiting for the AI trend to pass” or for those looking for ways to get the most out of this very human software.

About the Guest

Conor Grennan

Dean of Students and Head of Generative AI at NYU Stern

Conor is the Dean of MBA and Graduate Students and the Head of Generative AI at NYU Stern, where he trains MBAs, faculty, and administration about practical, generative AI. He’s a New York Times best-selling author, a TEDx speaker, and his insights around AI have been featured in Business Insider, Vox, and many other publications. He’s also the co-host of the AI Applied podcast and publishes the AI Mindset Newsletter.

Quickfire Q&A

With everything in AI moving so fast, how do you recommend or how do you even try to keep up?

Conor: I think we should demystify that just by saying it’s impossible to keep up. The truth is you don’t actually have to keep up with everything. You just sort of have to keep up with things that pertain to you. But the way I keep up is LinkedIn and then I like a few different newsletters and podcasts.

What would you say to people who are sitting on the sidelines of AI and aren’t sure what to do with it?

Conor: Break your job down into tasks. You walk into the office, you sit down, what’s the first thing you do? Okay I’m drafting this email, or I have to write a job description, or I’m trying to come up with a new lesson plan. Just ask ChatGPT to help. You’ll find out for yourself.

If you could give your younger self any advice, what would it be?

Conor: Don’t let any failure define you. Just think of every failure as if you have to collect ten of them for every success. The only way forward to success is through failure.

About The Host

Steve Gilman

As the President of Gravity Group, Steve is passionate about helping brands reach their goals through honest, creative marketing and powerful brand stories.

LinkedIn