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USC Marshall AI for Business Students To Deliver Tech Insights for Thunder, Salesforce Executives

USC Marshall AI for Business Students To Deliver Tech Insights for Thunder, Salesforce Executives

AI for Business undergraduate students are developing research findings on the latest AI trends for top executives at Thunder and Salesforce.

by: Alexander Bernard
08.27.25
a BUAI student drawing AI models

A BUAI Student illustrates AI models.

[USC Photo / Grayson Adler]

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  • Charlie Hannigan

    Charlie Hannigan
    • Academic Director, AI for Business Program
    • Assistant Professor of Clinical Data Sciences and Operations

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USC Marshall’s AI for Business (BUAI) joint degree program is collaborating with Thunder and Salesforce to deepen insights into artificial intelligence (AI) and the role the technology will play in business and beyond. The USC-Thunder-Salesforce Agentic AI Lab, composed of 30 to 35 BUAI students, will create a detailed report on the newest developments in AI and present it to the companies later this month.

The BUAI degree, offered in partnership with the Viterbi School of Engineering, combines the technical aspects of AI development and coding with a comprehensive business education. The program seeks to develop its students as multifaceted professionals with the ability to create technical solutions for complex business challenges.

Charlie Hannigan, academic director of the BUAI program and assistant professor of clinical data sciences and operations, outlined the mutually beneficial collaboration, providing companies access to innovative research and offering students experiential learning opportunities in a rapidly developing field.

“Students will produce short prospectuses that map the current landscape, highlight near-term possibilities, and identify ethical concerns and pitfalls companies must navigate,” Hannigan said. “This work benefits students by immersing them in cutting-edge applications of AI, while companies gain fresh insights from talented young researchers who are analyzing their sector with both rigor and creativity.”

Salesforce is a cloud-based customer relationship software, offering services in multiple areas such as sales, marketing, and e-commerce. Thunder is a consultancy company specializing in the adoption and implementation of Salesforce platforms. Thunder uses their expertise to help clients tailor the software to their unique business needs, be it marketing, revenue tracking, data analysis, or customer service. As technology-based enterprises, both Thunder and Salesforce are developing AI strategies to innovate their platforms.

The lab will research how AI is shaping four separate areas of development: healthcare, led by Kimon Drakopoulos, associate professor of data sciences and operations; corporate applications, led by Nathanael Fast, associate professor of management and organization and director of the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making, high-tech industries, led by Hannigan, and public sector initiatives, led by Carter Wigell, CEO of Thunder, and Jerad Speigel, chief strategy and corporate development officer at Washington Harbour.

The fact that organizations like Thunder are eager to work with us demonstrates the value they see in the BUAI program — not only as a source of top talent but as a partner in thinking critically about AI’s role in business and society.

— Charlie Hannigan

Academic Director of the BUAI Program / Assistant Professor of Clinical Data Sciences and Operations

Hannigan says these industry connections, a centerpiece of their Marshall education, prepare students to flourish in multiple industries outside of the classroom and well before graduation.

“By engaging directly with companies, our students can apply their intellectual strengths in real-world contexts, gaining invaluable experience while contributing meaningful perspectives to industry partners,” Hannigan said. “These collaborations ensure that our students don’t just learn theory but actively participate in shaping the future of AI.”

This project adds to the BUAI program’s growing list of industry connections. This year, the program also launched a collaboration with Automus Consulting, providing students with access to Oracle Cloud applications and new AI technology.

As the program gains a reputation for technical excellence and practical business applications, opportunities to work with top industry partners such as Thunder and Salesforce will continue to grow, according to Hannigan.

“Time and again, when our students engage with leading firms, executives are impressed by their intelligence, thoughtfulness, and ambition,” Hannigan said. “The fact that organizations like Thunder are eager to work with us demonstrates the value they see in the BUAI program — not only as a source of top talent but as a partner in thinking critically about AI’s role in business and society.”

Hannigan and the industry sponsors envision the collaboration expanding beyond the upcoming reports and into campus fireside chats, student-led technical projects, internships, industry specific conferences, and academic publications.

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