What I Learned at Wharton’s AI Leadership Program

This summer, I attended the AI Leadership Program at the Wharton Global Youth Program in San Francisco. Over two weeks, I explored how artificial intelligence is changing business and society while getting hands-on experience with AI and generative AI tools.

The most rewarding part of the program was the capstone project. My team built HighNote, an AI-powered platform that helps independent restaurants collect customer feedback, analyze review trends, and identify actionable improvements. Our goal was to help restaurant owners better understand their customers and improve their online reputation.

Throughout the program, we didn’t just learn how AI works. We also talked a lot about how to use it responsibly. We looked at real business examples, ethical questions, and why it matters to build tools that actually solve real problems instead of using AI just for efficiency.

One of the biggest lessons for me was that good AI products start with understanding people. At first, we considered building TableGuard, an AI tool to predict restaurant no-shows. But after speaking with restaurant owners, we realized no-shows were not a major issue for them. That feedback pushed us to rethink our idea and focus on something more useful. It showed me how important it is to validate ideas early and listen to the people you are building for.
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I’m grateful for the chance to learn from Wharton faculty and work with such driven peers. The program deepened my interest in the intersection of AI, business, and entrepreneurship, and I’m excited to keep building things that can make a real impact.