SAN ANTONIO ATD
MONTHLY LEARNING MEETING
Lessons from Oz: Pay No Attention to the Human Behind the AI
AI is everywhere—writing content, personalizing learning, and influencing decisions. It’s flashy, powerful, and feels like magic. But like the Wizard of Oz, AI is more smoke and mirrors than all-knowing force. The real question isn’t what AI can do—it’s who’s actually in control?
What to expect:
In this high-energy, hands-on session, you’ll pull back the curtain on AI’s impact on learning, leadership, and decision-making. Through storytelling, live AI coaching, and real-world exercises (including a BYOD component), you’ll learn how to coach AI like an intern, not fear it like a wizard.
Expect to challenge AI’s biases, experiment with its outputs, and leave with practical strategies for keeping AI in its place. AI doesn’t have a brain to think, a heart to empathize, or courage to decide—that’s on us.
Follow the yellow brick road—bring your device and get ready to take charge!
Learning Objectives:
Think Like the Wizard – Coach AI’s output, set boundaries, and keep humans in control of decision-making.
See Through the Smoke – Identify and mitigate AI biases, misinformation, and hallucinations.
Lead with Brains, Heart, and Courage – Evaluate AI’s impact on workplace leadership and develop strategies to maintain human oversight.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road Without Letting AI Drive – Experiment with AI in a guided BYOD activity to ensure it enhances—not replaces—human expertise.
This session is ideal for:
-
L&D Professionals – Trainers, instructional designers, and HR teams who want to harness AI for learning while keeping human expertise at the forefront.
-
Leaders & Managers – Those responsible for decision-making and talent development who need to understand AI’s role in leadership and organizational growth.
-
Educators & Facilitators – Anyone designing or delivering learning experiences who wants to ensure AI serves as a tool, not a replacement.
-
Change Agents & Innovators – Individuals passionate about ethical AI, responsible innovation, and the future of work.
-
Curious Professionals – Anyone intrigued by AI’s influence on content, decision-making, and leadership—and who wants to engage with it in a practical, hands-on way.
About the Speaker:
Josh Penzell is what happens when you cross an AI strategist with a musical theater director and give him a prompt. As Co-Founder and CEO of Imagination Applied, he helps organizations treat AI like a curious intern—not a wizard behind the curtain. He also consults with nonprofits through Microsoft’s Skilling for Social Impact team, helping mission-driven orgs adopt AI with intention, clarity, and courage.
Josh is the creator of TheaterThink®, a metaphor-powered framework for navigating complex human systems using the logic of the rehearsal room. It’s how leaders and teams “rehearse” their way through ambiguity, power dynamics, and stuck behavior—without needing to fix everything too fast. He’s also the mind behind Human Caffeine™, a communication method designed to energize attention, engagement, and learning.
Formerly VP of AI Strategy at ELB Learning, Josh has led innovation at Amazon Alexa, Zillow, and Skillsoft—always mixing systems thinking, storytelling, and just the right amount of stagecraft. He holds degrees from Northwestern (BS), Brooklyn College (MFA in Theater), and the University of Illinois (MBA). Want to keep learning after the session? Chat with his AI assistant at JoshPGPT.ai. Just don’t ask it to tap dance. Yet.
