Opportunity Framing with AI
Series Description:
Whether you are a student startup with a brand new idea, a small business owner with a side project, or a seasoned business mogul, the Entrepreneur Workshops focus on a variety of topics pertinent to your journey. Sponsored by Pillsbury and hosted by the Office of Innovation and Commercialization’s The Basement, these workshops are open to everyone. We invite you to register for as many sessions as you are interested in!
Event Description:
Before you build it, pitch it, or launch it, make sure it’s the right idea. This workshop teaches a repeatable process for identifying and framing meaningful opportunities using Human Insights (HI) amplified by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Through practical tools, collaborative exercises, and real-time AI exploration, participants learn how to investigate a problem before jumping to solutions. You’ll examine what you think you know, gather human and AI-supported research, identify the people and perspectives that matter, and translate what you learn into a clear, actionable problem statement. Using HI × AI, you’ll challenge assumptions, uncover new perspectives, and determine which opportunities are worth pursuing before investing time, money, or resources in a solution.
The result is a more thoughtful way to move from uncertainty to opportunity—with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Refreshments generously provided by Ike's Sandwiches.
About the Speaker:
Kevin Popović | Founder, The Idea Guy® | kevinpopovic
Kevin Popović is The Idea Guy®, a strategist, educator, author, and speaker who helps people identify the right problems, create better ideas, and turn those ideas into meaningful innovation.
He is the creator of AMPLIFIED!, an approach to innovation that integrates Human Insights (HI) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve how people understand problems, make decisions, and create solutions. His work is grounded in a simple principle: human insight provides the context, empathy, judgment, and meaning; AI amplifies our ability to research, explore, create, and refine. Together, HI × AI can make innovation more thoughtful, repeatable, and effective.
Kevin is also pursuing his doctorate at National University, where his research examines how organizations can integrate HI × AI to improve problem identification and innovation practice. His research explores the human and organizational conditions that influence innovation adoption, implementation, and sustained impact—providing an empirical foundation for the ideas and practices behind AMPLIFIED!
As the former Education Manager at UC San Diego’s Design Lab, Kevin has taught design and innovation at UC San Diego, developed idea incubators at San Diego State University, and advised organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies.
Through keynotes, workshops, courses, and consulting, Kevin helps students, entrepreneurs, leaders, and organizations strengthen their creative confidence and innovation capability—combining what people understand with what AI can amplify to solve problems that matter.
Directions
This event is located on the first floor of the Design and Innovation Building (DIB). The entrances are located across from the Structural Materials and Engineering building or next to the UC San Diego Central Campus Station bus and trolley stop.
Learn more about getting to the DIB, including parking, directions, and maps.
MTS Trolley
The easiest way to get to the DIB is by taking the MTS trolley UC San Diego Blue Line and getting off at the UC San Diego Central Campus stop. The trolley stop is a short 1 minute walk to the DIB.
Parking
Public transportation is highly recommended as parking is limited on campus. If you plan to drive to campus, please give yourself plenty of time. You can download the ParkMobile app to pay for your space digitally once you find a spot.
P510 - Pay and Display, Northside of the DIB (Closest)
Gilman Parking Structure, Southwest side of the DIB (Largest)