Interview with Thomas Bornheim, CEO of coding school 42 Heilbronn on AI

Spilling the digital beans on AI. Interviews at the cutting edge

'These tools work better when you bribe them'

February 7, 2024

Interview with Thomas Bornheim, CEO of coding school 42 Heilbronn

As a former Senior Analyst for Google's engineering team for 14 years, Thomas has been at the frontlines of technical innovation for quite some time.
In 2020 he leaped Mountain View to become the CEO of 42 Heilbronn, which is a full-time tuition-free coding school without teachers or lectures. Instead, they let their students blossom through peer learning and autodidactic research.
And with that, Thomas is totally the right person to ask about this whole AI journey the world has embarked on.

The Interview

What's your job and how does it involve AI?
I lead a coding school. Providing learning content, and communicating the opportunities of artificial intelligence is part of my core job.
What's the craziest thing about AI you've heard so far?
Frank Herbert's Dune is set in a world, where humanity decided to set up a law against replicating human intelligence. The book was published more than 50 years ago (1965).
How much time do you approximately save daily by using AI tools?
AI saves me about 10 hours/week.
But when it comes to process, policy, or graphic design, I am able to save at least 30 hours... per day.
Which AI tool do you personally use the most?
ChatGPT
Do you prefer: ChatGPT or Bard?
ChatGPT
What area should AI enthusiasts keep an eye on in the near future?
Education.
Computers are amazing tools for knowledge work. In our "human domain", I believe we will observe increased importance of "personality skills", i.e. kindness, self-moderation, and the contribution to our local communities. LLMs can already help to advance our humanity as mentors and trainers.
Any tips, tricks, or hacks regarding the use of AI?
Be super friendly, and your results will turn out better. It's surely a psychological effect - but it is also proven that these tools work better when you bribe them.
What AI tool should be invented for you?
A music tool that makes music with me.
Love or hate: Technology smarter than humans aka AGI?
Depends on how you define smart. I don't think humans are smart, and that's great!
Do you believe AI will bring a bigger technological revolution than the internet?
Yes, but not for everyone.
Is AI more of a chance or a challenge for humanity?
Chance.

About the interview series:
‘Spilling the digital beans on AI’ allows you to listen in on CEOs building AI tools and learn from AI enthusiasts who are already leveraging the technology every day.
Whether you are looking for tips using AI or want to take a glimpse into the future of AI with us, get the popcorn out because we translate the technical chit-chat into a language we all understand.