Combating the narrative that AI is a "bad actor" in education, Nguyen is taking the opportunity to prove that generative AI has the potential to enhance the learning experience. Nguyen has a longstanding interest in technology and has been following AI advancements for a significant amount of time.  

The professional selling course is designed around three main pillars — having the right mindset, developing a customized framework and engaging in experiential learning with roleplays. To complement these objectives, Nguyen designed multiple chatbots, each behaving in different ways based on the styles in which they were trained. The chatbots function as roleplay partners to help students practice sales skills. 

“Using AI in my course helps students gain not only class-related skills and knowledge, but also AI-related skills that are important for modern jobs,” said Nguyen. “Academically, students familiarize themselves with how to run a sales meeting, develop adaptability and communication skills as they engage in AI-driven role-plays. Technologically, they learn how to create and fine-tune AI-driven tools, such as ChatGPT, which are becoming the new standard in the workplace.”

In addition to making these resources more accessible, generative AI has the ability of mimic various buyer personas, provide instant feedback and adapt scenarios based on student input — making the training more personalized and effective. The technology also includes a voice function that mimics a real-world scenario, requiring students to think quickly on their feet. 

“In the past, roleplays were typically done by having students practice with their peers, their professors or sometimes professionals,” he said. “This, however, is very demanding in terms of time, coordination effort and students often feel nervous when working with their professors or professionals. Now with the advancement of technologies like generative AI, we can enhance this process by offering customizable role-play experiences anytime, anywhere.” 

One student enrolled in the course, Mila Iuteri ’25, MBA ’26, had the opportunity to showcase the implementation of this technology. Iuteri created a hypothetical company, EverAfter, a B2B professional services company that provides wedding and event planners with programs and platforms to support cost analyses, project management and the ability to accelerate the implementation of new trends. Iuteri used the chatbot to practice her professional selling skills, pitching a program to her ‘buyer.’ 

In addition to gaining first-hand experience with this technology, Iuteri earned the opportunity to display her project to a panel at the Quinnipiac Parent’s Council meeting. 

“This experience showed me just how useful and innovative ChatGPT can be and it helped me understand why AI is becoming so important,” said Iuteri. “In the past, doing practice pitches and interviews with professors made a lot of students, including myself, pretty nervous. Practicing with AI, lets us work on our skills and learn from our mistakes without the fear of messing up. It’s a comfortable way to build confidence and try out new techniques.” 

In addition to her successful outcome, Iuteri also learned how to confront technological challenges and how to overcome these obstacles. 

“One of the biggest challenges I encountered was finding the right balance when coding the AI,” she said. “I needed to make sure I was neither too vague nor too specific. It required a ‘sweet spot’ to get the AI to respond accurately. Getting accustomed to ChatGPT’s nuances and practicing until I found that balance was essential. Once I got it right, I was able to create a seamless conversation experience with the AI bot.”

Reflecting on her experience, Iuteri emphasized the positive impact that this technology has already had on her professional development. 

“This experience has also shown me how AI can be a valuable tool in professional services, helping me approach client interactions with more clarity and confidence,” said Iuteri. “Earlier this year, I had a job that involved cold calling, but I often felt unsure about my approach. Working with AI has given me a way to refine my skills before making real calls, which can sometimes be critical for a company’s success. Now, I feel more confident and prepared to handle high-stakes conversations.” 

Minimizing the stigma around AI projects, Iuteri encourages students to take a leap of faith and experiment with the technology. 

“My advice to anyone who would be interested in working on similar AI projects would be to go for it,” she said. “Experiment, make mistakes and learn from them. Each attempt will bring you closer to understanding and creating something impactful. AI is a fast-growing field with endless potential and the skills you develop now can open up incredible opportunities in the future.”

Since the implementation of this technology in his professional selling course, Nguyen has received positive feedback from student, faculty and staff. 

“The general feedback is very positive,” he said. “Students are amazed at how much AI can do and how helpful it can be to leverage AI in the right way to help with their learning. The chatbot demonstration itself and the application of AI in education in general received great interest from the participants at the Quinnipiac panel, as well as from my colleagues when I brought this to their attention.” 

"I have heard nothing but incredible reviews," said Iuteri. "The panel, peers, professors and even Dean Holly Raider were all impressed with both my presentation and the concept I was discussing. It means a lot to me because it shows me that this is something that many people have interest in. Initially, the panel believed that AI sources would just be used to cheat on exams and assignments. After they saw all of the presentations, they had a whole new way of thinking about it and I am honored to be one of the people that made that impact."

As Nguyen continues to integrate AI technology into his courses, he remains optimistic of the future for this technology in academia.

“I certainly think there’s a great potential for the use of AI in other marketing courses,” said Nguyen. “The most common task that can be handled by AI is to be a teaching assistant to help students with class-related content or assignments. In addition, some marketing classes may benefit from unique features of generative AI, such as the roleplay capabilities that I used in my Professional Selling class. There are many more ideas, still in incubation period, that I would love to explore more in the future.”