---
title: "Running AI-assisted desk research"
course: "ENTR 242 · Start your own business"
unit: "Finding problems worth solving"
lesson: 7 of 43
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/running-ai-assisted-desk-research
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Running AI-assisted desk research

Lesson 7 of 43 in **Start your own business** (ENTR 242), unit "Finding problems worth solving". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Use an AI assistant to gather desk research on competitors, market signals and customer complaints, and verify each claim against a named source.
- Distinguish what desk research can show from what only customer interviews can reveal, and label each finding as supporting or weakening a hypothesis.

## Teaching notes
Scenario: SwitchPrep, a gen-AI interview-prep coach idea for adults switching careers, with three discovery interviews done. Learners use a free AI assistant with web search (such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity) to research tools like Google Interview Warmup, Yoodli and Big Interview and their user reviews.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 7 complete: Running AI-assisted desk research."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Affinity mapping discovery evidence" (lesson 8 of 43), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/start-your-own-business/affinity-mapping-discovery-evidence.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Running a discovery interview
Next lesson: Affinity mapping discovery evidence