Generative AI in the C-Suite with MIT App Inventor

Dec 1, 2024 evan's Blog

Where the magic happens at MIT Sloan Executive Education. Photo Credit: Evan Patton

Over the past year and a half, the MIT App Inventor team has collaborated on multiple workshops with MIT Sloan Senior Lecturer Paul McDonagh-Smith attended by C-suite executives, vice presidents, and MBAs. These events have provided a wonderful opportunity for the MIT App Inventor team to collaborate with the MIT Sloan School of Management to highlight how generative AI can not only provide impact on the business environment but in ways that are easy to grasp and can have a real effect in the corporate world.

App Inventor’s effects on the corporate sphere are not just constrained to the MIT Sloan School of Management, however. Marjorie Yang, a proponent of App Inventor in Hong Kong and former Chairwoman of the Esquel Group, advocated for App Inventor in her business. Employees of Esquel developed an array of applications with MIT App Inventor under her leadership (learn more).

Our MIT Sloan events typically begin with an introduction to MIT App Inventor, including its history and how we work to reduce the barrier to entry for technology with the aim to make individuals into producers of technology, not just consumers.

Evan introduces App Inventor and its mission. Photo Credit: Natalie Lao

We then transition into a live tutorial, where participants are encouraged to install the MIT App Inventor Companion app on their Android or iOS device. To streamline, we leverage the use of our anonymous account feature on the server at code.appinventor.mit.edu. This lets attendees get started immediately on their projects.

During the workshops, participants have explored the use of chat-based AI, generative tools for making and editing images, and also explore the plethora of App Inventor’s components.

With these workshops, we hope to convey that anyone at any level of the org chart can both learn about computational thinking and, more importantly, discover how they can apply this technique to other parts of the business enterprise, even if a computer isn’t directly involved. Importantly, it shows that block-based coding environments are not just a platform for children but that people of all ages can build real world applications with tools like MIT App Inventor.

Lastly, I’d like to extend my thanks to the MIT App Inventor staff and students who volunteer their time to make these sessions successful for audiences of 60+ participants.