How can AI transform education without compromising learning? In this podcast hosted by Boston New Technology CPO Shweta Agrawal, Cengage Group SVP of Product Ghazal Badiozamani will be speaking on ethical AI and value-driven product development in EdTech. Ghazal shares her innovative approach to creating AI tools that enhance student learning by focusing on critical thinking and pedagogical outcomes, rather than simply providing answers.
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Show Notes
- Always start with the customer problem: Is it worth solving?
- Treat AI as a tool, not a solution – focus on delivering customer value
- Adopt a “one team” mentality across product, sales, marketing, and engineering
- Use zero-based budgeting approach in product planning: Start from scratch each cycle
- Align product strategy directly with overall business goals
- Prioritize ethical AI that promotes learning and critical thinking
- Create OKRs that measure outcomes, not just feature delivery
- Balance innovation with responsible technology implementation
- Simple user flow changes can often be more impactful than complex technological solutions
- Keep the customer’s learning and growth as the North Star metric
- Avoid pushing AI features just for the sake of technological advancement
- Ensure cross-functional collaboration, especially with legal and compliance teams
- Build products that contribute positively to culture and human development
- Continuously assess whether new technologies truly solve customer problems
- Encourage engineers and data scientists to focus on customer outcomes
- Be willing to experiment, test, and quickly pivot if a solution isn’t working
- Maintain a holistic view of business strategy that integrates product development
- Prioritize user engagement and actual value delivery over feature count
- Create AI tools that nudge users toward learning, not just provide answers
- Foster a product management community that supports mutual growth and learning
About the speaker
Ghazal Badiozamani is a product and technology leader that helps companies define business strategy, develop high-performing teams, and build customer-centered products and services. She built product and grew businesses in healthcare, life sciences, education, and tech. She was part of the CleanTech fund at Kleiner Perkins, led strategy and product at a global multi-national, RELX / Elsevier, and drove growth at privately held companies Celtra and Catchafire. She currently is the SVP Product Management at the Engage Group, driving innovation and quality education tools for K-12, Higher Ed, and Vocational programs. She’s an empathetic and decisive leader who thrives when problems are thorny and complex. And she loves chocolate.
About the host
Shweta Agrawal, is one of the Top 40 Under 40. Shweta is the Chief Product Officer (CPO) at Boston New Technology (BNT), where she has helped shape one of Boston’s most vibrant platforms for founders, technologists, and investors. Shweta has worked at Fortune 500 companies where she launched multi-million-dollar products and she has also defined and scaled product strategies in small to mid startup companies. She serves as a Product Expert, Startup Advisor, and Ecosystem Builder. She is dedicated to empowering underrepresented founders, women in STEM, and the next generation of innovators