Originally shared in our August 2026 Top of Mind Newsletter.
Sarah Hernholm taught elementary school for years before she left in 2009 to start WIT (Whatever It Takes), a nonprofit that teaches entrepreneurial thinking to teens. Her latest piece for Forbes takes on a question that’s come up in almost every one of our partner conversations lately: what happens to the entrepreneurial mindset when AI can do the thinking for you?
She argues that AI can execute an idea fast, but it can’t find the idea worth executing. That part still comes down to “identifying valuable problems, recognizing opportunities, taking initiative, and adapting strategies.”
In much the same way, we at ELI describe agency, opportunity recognition, adaptability, and value creation as the cornerstones of entrepreneurial thinking. We can’t automate the empathy and curiosity that it takes to understand the needs of others, and that’s a good thing.