Agree with the other review that they don't teach technical skills, which was a bit of a disappointment for me. However I LOVED every other aspect of this class - if you are looking to gain experience in product development and business/startup skills take this class!!! It is kind of time consuming but I felt that it was worth it. They assigned teams, topics and coaches at the start and you work together to build your product up to demo day for the rest of the quarter. There are also a lot of guest speakers that you can definitely add to your network. I had an amazing group and a great coach, and this was a 10/10 experience.

I first heard about this class from one of the many fliers posted throughout Boelter Hall and Engineering V. It promised to teach ideas of AI and Software Design. This is not the case, and, in retrospect, I think that the fliers are quite misleading. This class does not teach you much of anything "technical." Its course description is far more accurate and honest. This class is about "soft skills": pitching, marketing, and design thinking. AI, software, programming, etc. is discussed but at such a high/surface level that it almost feels wishy-washy or lacking substance or just "Mickey Mouse," as they say. Therefore, do not join this class if you are hoping to learn, for example, how to actually implement AI technolgies, develop/program software, or handle database management. Instead, join this class if you want to think about similar, by certainly different ideas: using GenAI for ideation and discussing the ramifications of AI use; the design process (e.g. Figma) and UI/UX thinking that goes into an app prototype (before any programming); how to navigate the fine line between data privacy/security policy and getting the necessary data from a user, and how to incorporate good data practices in your design thinking.

If you are interested in this sorts of ideas (and having a cool opportunity to improve your soft skills), and not only wanting the underlying technical/hard skills, then consider taking this class. You will work with a group of other students and two or three professional coaches from industry--a cool experience, so long as your other team members hold their own.

The professors are great and the class is well organized, with many impressive guest lecturers. Demo Day was a fun experience too.