Darshan Desai on AI, Analytics, and Reimagining Education
How Quantic’s analytics lead uses AI to surface hidden student needs, deepen learning, and transform the educator’s role.
Dr. Darshan Desai leads analytics and data science initiatives at Quantic School of Business and Technology, bringing over 20 years of experience in AI, analytics, and data strategy. In this interview, Desai discusses how AI is being used in Business Analytics & Data Science, AI Ethics & Data Strategy, SQL & Relational Databases.
Source note: This is an edited interview adapted from a narrated video submitted to OpenAI. Watch the associated video in OpenAI Academy.
Intro
When Dr. Darshan Desai reflects on decades of teaching analytics and data science, one moment stands out: the question that flickers in a student’s mind but goes unasked. In this conversation, Darshan shares how Quantic School of Business and Technology is using conversational AI, custom GPTs, and voice interfaces to create a learning environment where every student’s curiosity is met—no matter how fleeting or tentative. We dig into the theory, practical workflow, and the deeper impact on both students and educators.
The Interview
Q: Darshan, you talk about the “unasked question” as the most important moment in learning. Where does that idea come from, and why does it matter so much?
Desai: I’ve been teaching long enough to know that learning often pivots on the questions students almost ask—the ones that surface for a moment and then disappear, maybe because the professor has moved on or the student doesn’t want to sound foolish. I always wished I could retrieve those questions. I was fascinated by ancient Indian mythological stories, where the guru instantly sensed a student’s unspoken doubts and appeared only when the student was truly ready. My heart has always craved that kind of one-on-one connection, but the reality in modern classrooms is different. We’re often pressed for time, forced to limit questions, and focus more on lecturing than on the learner’s journey.
Q: How has AI changed your ability to reach those moments of readiness and connection?
Desai: By merging AI with the human touch, we’re creating a personalized learning ecosystem where every student has a real shot at success. At Quantic, we’ve embedded conversational AI at multiple levels. Our AI tutor is present in every lesson frame, and voice mode brings it to life—students can have thoughtful conversations with the content while commuting, doing chores, or walking their dog. We also have an AI advisor that guides students through the curriculum, reminds them of deadlines, and helps balance work, life, and education. It’s about meeting learners where they are, at their pace.
Q: Can you give examples of how you personally use AI tools like ChatGPT in your teaching practice?
Desai: Absolutely. ChatGPT has become part of my daily rhythm. Sometimes it’s a thinking partner; other times, it’s the one cracking a joke before my morning tea kicks in. I use it for content and curriculum updates—AI has transformed that process. In the past, curriculum review took months or years, and content could linger past its shelf life. Now, we can source high-quality resources quickly, which is crucial in fast-moving fields like analytics and data science. I also use AI to design fresh case studies, simulated data labs, and industry scenarios based on breaking news, new regulations, or shifts in best practices.
Q: You mentioned custom GPTs for project feedback. How does that work, and what’s the impact on students?
Desai: I’m a huge fan of iterative feedback and hands-on projects. We’ve created a suite of custom GPTs to serve as project guides—these are mainly instructor-facing tools. Our teaching team uses them to give iterative feedback on multiple student projects, create check-ins, identify common errors and patterns, and see where students excel or need more support. We align these tools with our rubrics, project descriptions, best practices, and common mistakes. The result is more targeted, timely feedback, and a more adaptive learning experience for students.
Q: What are you seeing in terms of student engagement and learning outcomes?
Desai: The experience has been overwhelmingly positive. On any given day, about 30% of our learners use the AI tutor, and they’re happy with the experience. What’s most inspiring is that many students return to the same lesson frame within a week to deepen their knowledge. That hunger for depth is a hallmark of our community, but it’s still inspiring to see. More than the numbers, the most exciting part is that AI gives me access to those unasked questions—students are shifting from asking “How do I do this?” to “Should I do this this way?” That’s a move from task completion to intellectual ownership, which lets us go deeper into ethics, implications, and strategy.
Q: What’s your vision for the future of education as AI becomes more central?
Desai: In ancient India, there’s a saying: true education is what liberates—from dogma, from struggle, not what frustrates. With AI as a catalyst, we as educators have the opportunity to rethink and reimagine education. We can truly focus on learners, their readiness, and their success, meeting them where they are and building genuine human connections. That’s the future I want to help create.
What Stands Out
Core idea: Desai’s approach centers on surfacing and addressing the unasked questions that define deep learning, using AI to create personalized, just-in-time support for every student.
Classroom design: By embedding conversational AI, voice interfaces, and custom GPTs into the curriculum, Quantic’s courses offer flexible, adaptive pathways that meet students at their level of readiness—whether they’re coding, analyzing data, or exploring ethical dilemmas.
Student impact: Students engage more deeply, returning to lesson content to build mastery and shifting from procedural questions to higher-level inquiry, which fosters intellectual ownership and richer discussions.
Transferable lesson: The combination of AI-driven feedback and human mentorship enables educators in any discipline to reclaim the hidden moments of learning, making education more liberating and learner-centered.
Bio
Dr. Darshan Desai leads analytics and data science initiatives at Quantic School of Business and Technology, bringing over 20 years of experience in AI, analytics, and data strategy.