Please note: Considering the normal guest price of $395, you can save by becoming an ATD Houston member for $100 and then pay the member workshop price of $295. Use code 1EIBUTV2 when signing up for general membership. Contact us before registering for the workshop if you have questions: presidentemeritus@tdhouston.org
Workshop Overview:
The stuck thing you’ve been meaning to fix?
Bring it.
We’ll tear it down.
Then we’ll make something better.
This isn’t another AI overview or “how-to” session.
AI Teardown is a full-day, in-person workshop where you bring one real process, tool, prompt, or idea that isn’t quite working—and we fix it.
We’ll tear it down to first principles, clarify what it’s actually trying to do, and rebuild it with AI playing a smarter, more strategic role.
You don’t need to be an AI expert. You just need to be ready to move.
Bring something real:
- A stuck chatbot
- An intake form no one completes
- A prompt that hallucinates
- A workflow that causes friction
- A deck that doesn’t land
- A course, email, or training that needs to resonate
Whatever’s not working, we’ll workshop it—live, in the room.
You’ll Walk Away With:
- A reimagined, rebuilt version of something you actually use
- A working AI-powered prototype or artifact (prompt, process, tool, or pitch)
- Clearer language and logic behind your solution
- A plan to coach your team, client, or org through what you built
- Access to a private Slack group for continued iteration and support
Learner Objectives:
Given a current tool, process, or communication asset, participants will deconstruct its purpose and logic using first-principles thinking to identify areas where AI can add strategic value.
Using generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT or Claude), participants will rebuild or redesign one real-world asset or process (e.g., chatbot, intake form, email, or training element) to improve usability, engagement, or effectiveness.
By the end of the workshop, participants will articulate a clear rationale for their redesigned AI-enhanced solution and demonstrate how it aligns with their team’s or organization’s goals.
Participants will develop a plan to share and scale their prototype by identifying key coaching, messaging, or stakeholder engagement strategies necessary for adoption within their teams or organizations.
ATD Competency Model - Area of Expertise This Session Supports: Learning Technologies
Josh Penzell is what happens when you cross a futurist, a systems strategist, and a musical theater director—and give him a prompt.
As the founder of Imagination Applied, Josh helps organizations design AI-enabled systems that behave, speak, and adapt like real collaborators—not just tools. He’s the creator of TheaterThink®, a metaphor-powered framework for navigating complexity using the logic of the rehearsal room, and Human Caffeine™, a communication method built to energize clarity, attention, and action at scale.
Josh has led strategy and innovation work with organizations including Amazon Alexa, Zillow, Skillsoft, ELB Learning, and Microsoft. His sessions feel more like rehearsals than lectures—designed to break open assumptions, surface stuck behavior, and rebuild what works.
He holds degrees from Northwestern (BS), Brooklyn College (MFA in Theater), and the University of Illinois (MBA). Want to keep going after the keynote? Chat with his AI assistant at JoshPGPT.ai—just don’t ask it to tap dance. Yet.
Debbie Richards is a nationally recognized consultant and facilitator with over 30 years of experience guiding enterprise organizations through large-scale technology and AI adoption. She has worked extensively with Fortune 500 companies, including within manufacturing, energy, and healthcare, helping C-suite leaders translate complex technologies into actionable business strategies. Debbie currently designs and teaches AI accreditation programs for the Association for Talent Development (ATD), equipping executives with a clear, practical understanding of Generative and Agentic AI. Named a Learning Guild Master in 2022, she brings deep industry insight, strategic facilitation expertise, and a proven ability to spark meaningful, results-driven dialogue among senior leadership teams. She is the past president of the Association of Talent Development, Houston chapter, and a past national advisor for chapters. Debbie has authored two TD at Work guides, Seeing the Possibilities With Augmented Reality and Preparing Your Organization for New Technologies.
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