Don Tapscott, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Blockchain Research Institute (BRI) and one of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of technology on business and society, recently led a town hall-style conversation on identic AI, an emerging era of AI where AI evolves from its use as a tool to an active participant in our lives. Identic AI is the subject of a new book he co-authored with Joseph Bradley, You to the Power of Two: Redefining Human Potential in the Age of Identic AI.
Don Tapscott interacting with “Digital Don,” an identic agent. Photo by Hannah Patterson/Costello College of Business.
Tapscott delivered his remarks to a Dewberry Hall audience that included Costello College of Business and George Mason students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the local business community. During the conversation, Tapscott introduced “Digital Don,” a knowledgeable and intelligent extension of himself—an identic agent capable of making decisions, managing tasks, and learning from his every interaction.
He went on to say that identic AI is also a direct response to global economic pressures of heightened competition, resource scarcity, and increased volatility, along with those arising from societal challenges like growing urban dysfunction, crumbling infrastructure, escalating healthcare costs, an aging population, and climate change. Businesses are facing complex challenges of fluctuating markets, supply chain disruptions, and demands for greater productivity that require an efficient, hyperlocal solution.
“Identic agents can have the context-awareness and decision-making capabilities to manage complex processes proactively,” said Tapscott. “As more firms rely on identic AI to stay competitive, a new economic landscape is emerging: one that depends on autonomous systems to maintain stability and growth in increasingly turbulent times.”
Of special interest to the George Mason audience was the impact agentic AI will have on the transformation of higher education—from an increasingly obsolete, traditional one-size-fits-all education delivery model to one that is customizable, highly personalized, and capable of providing a more engaging student experience with improved outcomes.
"With identic AI, education can finally move beyond the rigid, industrial-age model toward a more interactive, customized, and responsive system."
— Don Tapscott, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Blockchain Research Institute
“With identic AI, education can finally move beyond the rigid, industrial-age model toward a more interactive, customized, and responsive system,” noted Tapscott. “AI-driven learning companions have the potential to transform education by tailoring curricula, generating real-time feedback loops, and facilitating peer-to-peer collaboration.”
(Left to Right) Don Tapscott and Cheryl Druehl each holding the new book, You to the Power of Two: Redefining Human Potential in the Age of Identic AI. Photo by Hannah Patterson/Costello College of Business.
Tapscott was introduced by Cheryl Druehl, Costello interim dean and professor of information systems and operations management, who acknowledged the potential role identic AI will have in advancing the implementation of two of the college’s strategic priorities: student experience and career readiness and modular education for lifelong learning and global engagement. The event was arranged by Patrick Soleymani, associate dean for outreach and strategic engagement at Costello, and his staff.
“We see a not-so-distant future in the business college where lifelong learners will use identic agents to personalize their degree and non-degree programs to acquire the skills they need for success, both in their careers and in the evolving economy,” said Soleymani. “We are grateful to Don for coming here to share his insights on how this emerging stage of AI can help us to achieve our vision of becoming a place of opportunity where learners at any stage come to develop, where enterprises find talent and expertise, and where business is a positive force in the world.”
This event follows the first-ever AI Symposium hosted by Costello on George Mason’s Fairfax campus in October 2025, and continues the college’s commitment to convening thought leaders and equipping students and faculty with the tools to not only keep pace with AI, but to lead with it.