How to Thrive in an AI-Driven Future

Mr. Baier is CEO and principal analyst at GAI Insights. A seasoned software entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience and multiple company exits, he brings deep expertise in artificial intelligence and enterprise technology. He previously served as vice president of product at FirstFuel Software, an enterprise AI company, where he led product strategy for five years. Baier has co-authored several articles on enterprise generative AI, published in Harvard Business Review. He is an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and a contributor to Forbes. He holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Kenyon College.

Jay Ash is president and CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization composed of CEOs from 20 of the state’s largest businesses. He leads the organization’s efforts to strengthen and grow the Massachusetts economy through strategic public policy initiatives.

Prior to this role, Mr. Ash served as Secretary of Housing and Economic Development in Governor Charlie Baker’s first cabinet. During his tenure, he led statewide efforts in job creation, community development, housing, and business regulation. He was instrumental in passing four major economic development bills and played a key role in high-profile projects—including the relocation of GE headquarters to Boston, the development of the Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield, and the move of the Pawtucket Red Sox to Worcester.

Mr. Ash supported more than 200 local revitalization projects, oversaw the development of tens of thousands of housing units, and implemented workforce programs that helped achieve record job levels. He also directed the strategy that reduced the use of hotels and motels to shelter homeless families by 96 percent.

Yvonne Hao is the former Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She brings more than 25 years of executive leadership experience across business, technology, and investment sectors.

Ms. Hao was co-founder and managing director at Cove Hill Partners and previously served as an operating partner at Pillar Ventures and Bain Capital. She was also chief operating officer and chief financial officer at PillPack, an online pharmacy acquired by Amazon in 2018.

She currently serves on the boards of several leading companies, including CarGurus, Flywire, Gentherm, ZipRecruiter, and Bose. Deeply engaged in the community, Ms. Hao is vice chair of the board of trustees at Beth Israel Lahey Health and a trustee emerita of Williams College. She is a graduate of Williams College and the University of Cambridge, and lives in Williamstown and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Chloe Fang is an MBA student at MIT and co-founder of TNT (tnt.so), a launchpad for student founders at MIT and Harvard. Through TNT, she helps lead a range of initiatives that support the next generation of AI innovators. 

She recently organized a monthlong accelerator program that guided 15 student teams in building AI startups from the ground up, culminating in a demo day attended by more than 200 people. She also co-produced high-energy events like the first HBS vs. MIT AI Startupathon, which brought together 100 students to develop 40 working prototypes in a single day. In addition, she hosts Technically Non-Technical, a podcast that explores emerging breakthroughs in artificial intelligence—such as a conversation with the lead researcher behind the first OpenAI–MIT emotional AI study.

Before enrolling at MIT, Chloe worked at Goldman Sachs and McKinsey, advising technology companies on business strategy.