Dan Wang is the Lambert Family Professor of Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School and Co-founder of CAiSEY, a voice-first AI discussion platform that helps students develop critical thinking through conversation. Johanna Chouraqui leads instructor onboarding, user research, and operations at CAiSEY, bringing nearly a decade of experience in K-12 education and learning design.
💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode
- Why voice-based AI can foster deeper critical thinking than text-based interactions.
- How CAiSEY helps instructors increase student participation and classroom engagement.
- Why AI should act as a thinking partner and not a homework shortcut.
- How voice conversations give educators new insights into student understanding.
- What the future of AI-powered discussion and learning could look like across higher education.
✨ Episode Highlights
[00:03:32] The origin story of CAiSEY and why ChatGPT inspired a new approach to classroom learning.
[00:09:34] Why voice conversations unlock more creative and diverse thinking than text.
[00:15:22] How AI-powered discussions help quieter students build confidence before class.
[00:19:32] Why CAiSEY is intentionally designed to challenge students through debate.
[00:24:31] From one Columbia classroom to 25+ universities: CAiSEY's rapid growth.
[00:30:53] How voice-first AI improves accessibility for neurodiverse learners.
[00:34:10] Early research showing increased classroom participation and deeper learning.
[00:42:19] Dan and Johanna's vision for AI that strengthens, not replaces, human learning and classroom relationships.
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