Derrick Blackwell-Hunt

04 / Selected work

Strategy and applied AI: selected work from HEC Paris.

Two academic projects examine demographic strategy and the role of AI assistance in a complex transaction.

Strategic foresight · AI product conceptCapstone research · Academic concept

Selected academic work

Two projects, each built around a specific decision.

The demographic capstone tests how population change can affect long-term planning. HOMER asks where AI assistance could reduce friction in a real-estate transaction without removing professional review.

01Demographic strategyFeatured research brief
02HOMERAcademic AI product concept

How I approached the work

Understand → Structure → Execute → Improve

01

Understand

Learn who is involved, what they need, and what limits the work.

02

Structure

Define the model, workflow, requirements, or plan.

03

Execute

Build the process, product, controls, and communication needed to deliver.

04

Improve

Test the result, use feedback, and fix what does not work.

01 / Demographic strategy

When demographic growth stops being the default.

The capstone asked how sustained fertility decline and population aging could alter strategic choices in two capital-intensive, population-sensitive sectors: real estate and resource extraction.

Fig. 01

A changed planning baseline

19903.31births per woman
20242.25births per woman
Replacement reference2.1More than half of countries and areas are below this level.
Original portfolio figure using UN World Population Prospects 2024 summary data. Figures are global estimates, not forecasts authored for this portfolio.Source: UN DESA, WPP 2024
2sectors compared
5analytical lenses
2aging-economy cases
4strategic response pillars

From macro to sector

The same demographic shift creates different operating exposure.

Rather than treat population change as a single demand story, the analysis separated household formation, asset mix, labor availability, location, transition demand, and investment timing.

Fig. 02

Sector exposure matrix

DemandHousehold formation and location mix shiftAssetRetrofit, accessibility, and portfolio exposureDecisionStress-test long-duration demand assumptions
Original recreation of the analytical logic. It describes directional exposure and decisions, not guaranteed outcomes.

From evidence to action

Four responses for an uncertain planning environment.

  1. 01Rebalance portfolios

    Test geographic and asset exposure against demographic scenarios.

  2. 02Adapt assets and demand models

    Prioritize accessibility, retrofit logic, and changing customer needs.

  3. 03Build workforce resilience

    Combine skills, inclusion, and fit-for-purpose automation.

  4. 04Institutionalize scenarios

    Put demographic assumptions inside strategy and capital decisions.

02 / Academic concept

Where AI assistance could help in a complex real-estate transaction.

20-slide academic concept pitch

HOMER examined where controlled retrieval, drafting, and classification could reduce the customer’s workload. It also identified points where professional judgment, human review, and legal control would still be required.

Fig. 03

Customer, AI-support, and human-control layers

  1. 01Search and preparation
  2. 02Plain-language guidance
  3. 03Visible next actions
Original recreation based on the academic concept. It does not imply production deployment, legal assurance, traction, or validated economics.
Product risk

Trust, comprehension, and exception handling

Model risk

Retrieval quality, confidence, and escalation

Ecosystem risk

Professional roles, partners, and market structure

Regulatory risk

Jurisdiction, responsibility, and compliant review

Next / the same method across contexts

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