Jim Amos

10 Things You Need To Know Before Going “AI-First.”

CTO, Human Intelligence™ Institute

Learn from the strategies of other leaders in communicating about AI adoption.

What does "AI-First" really mean?

Let's think critically about what you're trying to achieve.

Will AI transform my company?

Does AI make my workforce more productive?

Learn how to counteract the fear of missing out.

How can we stay focused on what matters?

We'll discuss what's driving this strategy and whether it's right for your company or not.

Is going "AI-First" a choice, or a necessity?

“We're going to get to AI systems that are better than almost all humans at almost all tasks... That's the thing I think we're quite likely to get in the next two or three years." - Dario Amodei (CEO, Anthropic), January 2025. However… ”Only 8% of employees reported they feel GenAI is already transforming their organisation.” - Deloitte -&nbsp;State of Generative AI in the Enterprise report, Q4 2024. Quite frankly, the gap between AI advancement and AI adoption that those two stats speak to is just too large. It’s no longer just a gap. It’s a chasm. And add to that… “In organisations where AI is openly embraced, the chance of developing 'AI Experts' and 'AI Practitioners' is halved when direct managers discourage its use, either directly or indirectly.” - Section School - The AI Proficiency Report, January 2025. Merging those three storylines and you get a headline that says that senior leadership is the bridge that connects AI aspirations to organisational reality, and ultimately the trajectory of its integration at every level. In other words; true organisation-wide AI adoption doesn’t begin with technology or tools. It begins with leadership. AI literate and AI skilled senior leadership. And that, in a nutshell is what this course is designed to achieve. To take you (a senior leader) and the rest of your exec team from AI novicehood to AI literacy in four weeks. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past 2 years with companies, through my consultancy, Ten Past Tomorrow. In doing so, I’ve seen first-hand what happens when those three quotes above play out. Without full commitment to AI from an AI-literate executive leadership team, AI adoption is hamstrung to the point of failure, without exception. This is a "zero-to-one" course. It's designed to take senior leadership teams from a cold start, to AI competence. Even if you've never used an AI tool, in four weeks you and your fellow senior leaders will get a world-class grounding in essential, foundational AI prompting skills, and also develop your competence to understand how AI will affect your company and industry from a strategic viewpoint. You and your executive team colleagues may still consider yourselves AI-novices. Or perhaps you feel you have 'some AI knowledge' but your company has stalled after taking your first experimental steps with AI and don't know what the path looks like from here? Or maybe you've mastered AI for yourself and your own role, know first-hand the power it has to radically ramp up efficiency and productivity, but are stuck as to how to create an AI roadmap to distribute that same knowledge across your workforce? If any of the above resonates with you and your fellow senior leaders in your exec team, this course is for you.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead of reacting to AI disruption, you’ll soon be leading it... unlocking productivity gains, driving innovation, and making AI a competitive advantage for your company.

Close the AI capability gap: Exec-level training for senior leadership teams

Course syllabus

Each week you'll complete 2 x 1 hour blocks of self-directed learning, using a mixture of video and text-based course material. Compact learning design, for busy senior leaders.

Self-directed learning

Each week for the 4 weeks of the course, we'll gather live on Zoom (times listed below) as a cohort for discussions, activities and interactive thought experiments. New Zealand Time, Fridays, 9 - 10.30am US Time, Thursdays...5 - 6.30pm (EDT)4 - 5.30pm (CDT)2 - 3.30pm (PDT)

Live session days/times

While not designed to be taxing, short tests are included as part of your self-directed learning blocks each week. These are built with the objective of helping you to apply the principles you're learning to your own business and senior leadership practices.

Weekly projects

Course schedule

Senior leadership teams wanting to collectively, confidently, knowledgeably, skilfully and ethically lead an AI-forward company.

SLT teams who sense AI is far more than a technical challenge, that it demands leaders step forward to lead comprehensive strategic change.

Leadership teams excited by making a genuine commitment to fundamentally reshape their people, processes and businesses.

Who is this course for?

What you’ll get out of this course

By the end of this course, you'll understand what the five strategic steps to AI adoption are and how to apply them. You'll leave with a clear roadmap to make your business AI-forward, as a leadership team that drives efficiency, innovation, and long-term competitive advantage.

Understand the 5 (tested and proven) strategic steps to build an AI-forward business.

You'll master AI prompting. Well enough in fact that you'll apply those skills to use your favourite LLM as your own personal strategic executive assistant. Then take those skills away to drive radical productivity in your own work tasks, and guide your employees toward the same.

Become a highly skilled AI prompt writer and use those skills to build your own personal "AI strategic thought partner"

Still wondering if you're ahead, on-track or behind your competition with AI deployment? Assess your company’s AI maturity using a structured matrix framework across 10 key AI KPIs. Benchmark progress, spot gaps, and confidently communicate AI readiness to your stakeholders.

Deploy a framework-led diagnosis of whether your company is behind, on-track or ahead with AI, in relation to 10 key AI KPIs.

Your leadership team will move from AI uncertainty to confidence. Gain the strategic and practical AI skills needed to drive adoption at scale, making your organisation AI-forward. Leave with the knowledge to lead AI initiatives, boost efficiency, and stay ahead in your industry.

Become an AI literate senior leadership team that collectively has the understanding and skillset to create an 'AI Emergent' organisation.

The hands-on skills to prompt off-the-shelf AI tools (like ChatGPT) so you can drive radical productivity and efficiency in your own role, and for your employees.

AI efficiency and productivity

Understand what state of the art generative AI can do right now, what developments are likely coming in 12-18 months from the major AI labs, and how to map them across your strategic plan to ascertain where AI represents strategic opportunities and threats to your business model.

Strategic clarity

Learn the major components needed to construct a clear AI roadmap for integrating AI into your business, using a proven five-step framework. This is the roadmap to build an AI-forward organisation.

What does an AI roadmap look like?

Note: The course price given on this page is not per person. It is one single payment, which enrols your entire executive leadership team together as one.

One price for your entire senior leadership team

Arming senior leadership teams with the AI literacy, practical skills and strategic acumen needed to guide their companies into the AI era.

October 2025 Cohort

Mark Laurence

Ten Past Tomorrow founder • Generative AI cognoscente • Futurist

September 2025 Cohort

November 2025 Cohort

Your colleagues are positioning themselves as AI leaders. They're speaking up in strategy meetings, proposing AI solutions, and getting recognized for forward-thinking initiatives. Meanwhile, you're staying quiet, hoping someone else will figure it out. The Transformation is Real:--&gt; Kate went from Senior PM to AI Strategy Leader.&nbsp;Seven months after this course, she's being promoted to Group Product Manager - partly because she became her company's AI champion. "It's now really part of our performance reviews - how well we're using AI," she explains. "I feel like I've had a big advantage." --&gt; Dan went from non-coder to launching AI initiatives.&nbsp;"I went from idea to functional prototype in just 6 hours - despite having virtually no coding experience. The course fundamentally changed my mindset about what's possible." His AI app became foundational to his company's newly established AI Studio. --&gt; Danijela transformed from AI-curious to client strategist.&nbsp;"I'm now having strategic conversations with client partners about AI opportunities. My confidence in discussing AI with stakeholders has grown significantly - I now have both the technical understanding and strategic perspective to identify real business opportunities." Here's what's actually happening:&nbsp;While most PMs are still figuring out ChatGPT prompts, these leaders learned to think strategically about AI implementation, team development, and organizational transformation. This course is for Product Managers and Product Leaders who:-- Stay quiet when AI topics come up in meetings (but wish they could contribute meaningfully)-- Know AI matters for their career but don't know how to move beyond basic ChatGPT usage-- Want to lead AI initiatives instead of watching others get the credit-- Need to make strategic AI decisions but lack the confidence to do so-- Are tired of feeling left behind while others drive AI conversations The Problem You're Actually Facing:&nbsp;It's not that you need to become a prompt engineer. You need to become the PM who can evaluate AI opportunities, lead AI initiatives, and speak intelligently about AI strategy with stakeholders. Most AI courses teach you tools. This course teaches you to think strategically about AI so you can lead with confidence. What Makes This Different:-- Strategic Focus:&nbsp;While others learn prompts, you'll learn to shape AI strategy-- Career Positioning:&nbsp;Designed specifically to position you as an AI-capable leader-- Immediately Applicable:&nbsp;No technical background required - just your product experience-- Proven Results:&nbsp;Students are getting promoted, leading AI teams, and becoming their company's AI champions-- The Program:&nbsp;6 live sessions over 3 weeks + practical assignments that you can immediately apply at work. What You'll Stop Doing:-- Stop deflecting AI questions with "I'm not technical enough."&nbsp;Leading AI initiatives requires strategic thinking, not coding skills.-- Stop sitting silently while others drive AI conversations.&nbsp;You'll move from note-taker to decision-maker in AI strategy discussions.-- Stop treating AI as someone else's responsibility.&nbsp;Whether your company is AI-forward or AI-skeptical, you'll become the leader who shapes integration strategy rather than reacts to it.-- Stop letting "AI experts" make product decisions without you.&nbsp;You'll bridge technical possibilities with business strategy, ensuring AI serves actual user needs rather than just demonstrating technical capability. The difference between PMs who advance and those who plateau often comes down to one thing: their ability to lead through technological shifts rather than wait for someone else to figure it out first.

While Your Peers Position Themselves as AI Leaders, Where Does That Leave You?


Course syllabus 


Interactive lectures, discussions, and workshops.

Six Live Interactive Class Sessions


Apply what you've learned to your work environment.

Four "assignments"


All you need to do is ask; topic of discussion is your choice.

Office Hours


Develop a draft AI integration strategy for your product line or organization, incorporating learnings from all aspects of the course.

Final Project


Product Managers tired of staying quiet during AI discussions who want to become the PM others turn to for AI strategy guidance.&nbsp;

Senior PMs ready to differentiate themselves for leadership roles by mastering AI strategy beyond basic tool usage.

Product Leaders who need frameworks to assess team AI capabilities and guide strategic implementation decisions.&nbsp;

This course is designed for...


-- Move from AI-anxious to AI-confident in strategic discussions-- Become the PM others turn to for AI guidance and decisions-- Build the credibility needed for AI leadership roles

Position Yourself as an AI Strategy Leader


-- Design AI transformation roadmaps that get leadership attention-- Make strategic AI investment decisions with confidence-- Bridge technical possibilities with business outcomes

Lead AI Initiatives with Authority


-- Assess and develop your team's AI readiness systematically-- Create AI learning cultures that drive innovation-- Build AI-capable teams that execute with confidence

Transform Your Team's AI Capabilities


-- Navigate AI governance and ethics at the strategic level -- Implement AI frameworks that scale across product lines -- Influence company-wide AI direction rather than react to it

Drive Organizational AI Adoption


-- Use AI to amplify your strategic thinking, not just automate tasks -- Identify high-leverage AI opportunities others miss -- Build AI-enhanced products that create competitive advantage

Accelerate Your Product Impact


-- Learn alongside senior product leaders facing similar AI transformation challenges-- Build relationships with AI-forward product professionals who understand your context-- Join a community that continues collaborating long after the course ends

Access an Elite Network


-- Apply frameworks tested across major tech companies and dozens of product initiatives -- Get personalized guidance on your organizational challenges, not generic advice -- Access decision-making approaches from 20+ years of leading teams through technological shifts

Direct Access to Michael's Product Leadership Experience


AI isn't a skill you can learn later. It's a leadership differentiator you need now.


Cohort 7

Michael Hirsch

The Product Leader Teaching AI Strategy | Sony, Qualcomm, T-Mobile veteran

Cohort 6

Cohort 8

Clients want coaching, your team wants direction, and leadership wants you to 10× your own output with AI - all while the AI tech stack changes every week. When you're not-technical and don't have the time to become technical, this becomes an insane challenge to overcome.&nbsp; It's also the challenge that I had to solve for myself. At Accenture, I went from being a non-technical leader to securing $2M in funding for AI initiatives. Then I helped build the AI strategies that drove productivity improvements for over 14,000 consultants. Today, I advise both tech startups and Fortune 1000 companies on becoming AI-native organizations. What you need is the time and space to learn by doing. I'll show you how to pick the right problems to solve with AI (and that will get you kudos from your bosses) and we will collectively build AI solutions together, live. Plus you'll walk away with frameworks and cheat sheets so that you can do it again and again -- and teach your team how to do it. Walk away not just with a working AI experiment, but with the skills and frameworks to become the go-to AI leader in your org. This cohort isn’t “AI 101.” It’s applied enterprise-grade learning for leaders who want to be ahead of the curve, not catching up to it. Unlike broad "AI for Leaders" courses that just cover definitions, this live lunch-time cohort is hands-on -- you'll pick your top use cases, calculate ROI, decide on the tech stack, and try your hand at automating some of your own workload. WHAT TO EXPECT:Format: four live, lunch-time sessions across two weeksSupport: two optional interactive office hours for hands-on helpPrep: bite-sized, zero fluff—show up, apply, move onOutcome: identify high-impact AI use-cases, craft an executable plan, and become the AI-native voice in your org (or for your clients) WHAT WE'LL COVER:- Pinpoint problems that are truly AI-solvable (we’ll choose them live)- Scope projects that become career-making case studies, not budget sinkholes- Speak “just-technical-enough” about GenAI, agents, ML, and automation- Make smart Build • Buy • Vibe-Code calls to save cash and time- See case studies from companies seeing 70%-300% improvements in productivity, marketing, engineering, and product management- Select platforms for low-code / no-code AI automations- Set realistic expectations with leadership and clients- Overcome resistance and build cross-functional buy-in- Avoid the costliest implementation traps- Keep your strategy relevant as the tech leaps forward YOUR REPEATABLE AI PLAYBOOKGain proven frameworks, vendor matrices, and checklists to de-risk projects and win buy-in:1. Build, Buy, Vibe-Code AI Solution Decision Matrix2. AI Vendor Assessment Checklist3. “Why We’re Going AI-Native” Narrative Template4. 7-Point Checklist to Avoid AI Project Failure5. Handpicked list of my personal AI tech stack (the coolest AI products in the market right now) to explore The goal isn't to make you a technical expert - it's to give you the confidence to lead AI initiatives successfully. WHO WILL BENEFIT MOST FROM THIS COURSE: - You're responsible for AI projects but don't have a technical background- You need to make strategic decisions about AI investment- You're leading consulting engagements and clients want coaching on AI- You're bridging the gap between technical teams and business objectives- You want to position yourself as a forward-thinking leader WHO THIS IS NOT FOR: - Developers or AI engineers seeking technical implementation skills- Those expecting to become AI experts overnight- People looking for general "this is what ChatGPT is" courses If you're still not convinced, consider this: The price of this course is a fraction of the cost of a single failed AI project (so you should ask if your company will pay for this). And even if they won't, this is a small investment towards making your career future-proof.

Expectations have never been higher...

Use your lunch hour for the most impactful activity you could have on your plate -- future-proofing your career.

Wednesdays & Fridays Live Sessions

Open Office Hours for any questions and deep dives.

Thursday AMA Office Hours

Team leads, directors, and department heads who have been "volun-told" to implement AI and need to show a plan, quickly.

AI consultants who need structured frameworks to help clients decide on AI use cases, execution, and ROI.

Execs, founders, and business owners who need to set the AI strategy for their org and can't afford to make costly mistakes

Who should take this course

Companies are already seeing huge results...HubSpot improved email performance by 70%, Gumroad increased feature releases by 300%. Don't reinvent the wheel. Learn directly from real, behind-the-scenes case studies - and leave with a tangible plan for your team.

Leapfrog to picking 2-3 of the most impactful AI use cases based on what top AI leaders are doing

Decision fatigue is real -- and not all use cases need to be custom-built (and who has engineering resources for that, anyway). You'll be able to confidently decide how you should implement each use case to maximize speed to value. We'll apply this framework together in real time

Steal my framework for quickly deciding whether to Build, Buy, or "Vibe Code" AI solutions

Learn how to prompt AI agents like a boss, pick the right platform (Zapier, Make, ChatGPT, N8N), and start to automate your own work so you can deliver 10x more value.

Vibe code your AI "quick wins" live

74% of companies are struggling to see value beyond an AI proof of concept. We'll cover what makes a good AI deployment (to AI agent or not to AI agent) so your efforts stay relevant and scale over time. We'll analyze real situations from within the cohort.

Deconstruct the best practices and top mistakes companies make when deploying AI internally

AI tech isn't even the hardest part -- AI leaders are putting 80% of their effort into aligning people and processes. You'll leave with a clear, actionable roadmap to transform your team into an AI-Native powerhouse.

Create your own "Why We're Going AI Native" narrative to gain buy-in from your team

Walk away with a working AI experiment built on your own business problem — and the skills to become the go-to AI leader in your org.

Lauren Vriens

Cohort 1

Cohort 2

The Leadership Crisis No One Talks AboutIt's 2:47 AM and you're staring at the retention dashboard. Again. Your "AI-enhanced" feature launched to fanfare three months ago... great press, executive excitement, promising initial adoption. Now you're watching 73% of users abandon it after the first session. Tomorrow's executive product meeting is focused on exactly this: the design problem causing the retention cliff. You need to present research findings and lead a strategy discussion that could reshape your entire approach to AI. This isn't just about fixing a feature, it's about defining what AI design leadership looks like. Why This Moment MattersYour credibility was built on predictable delivery. For years, you shipped experiences that worked consistently. Now you're pioneering something entirely new, and that positions you to lead the industry standard. The paradigm has fundamentally shifted: Traditional UX Design:- Deterministic systems with predictable, consistent experiences- One-way interaction where users experience a fixed interface- Success measured by users completing intended paths AI Systems:- Non-deterministic learning systems where every interaction changes future behaviour- Bi-directional adaptation where both human and AI evolve through each encounter- Success measured by the quality of the evolving relationship﻿ 54% of people don't trust AI systems despite 61% of respondents using them daily. (University of Melbourne and KPMG, 2025) That retention cliff isn't a failure; it's feedback. Users sense the mismatch between predictable tools and learning entities. You're uniquely positioned to solve what no one else has figured out yet. The OpportunityThe leaders who master relationship design first won't just solve their retention problems; they'll become the case study everyone else studies.This is your chance to define what trustworthy AI design looks like, rather than follow standards someone else sets. A Leadership Transformation in Three MovementsThis intensive journey rebuilds your leadership approach for the relationship design era: 1. Leading Through UncertaintyHow to guide teams building systems that learn and adaptCommunicating AI value to executives without overpromisingMaking decisions about technologies you're still mastering 2. Building Trust-First TeamsEstablishing design processes for non-deterministic systemsCreating quality standards for evolving AI relationshipsDeveloping team capabilities in trust signal design 3. Scaling Relationship DesignImplementing frameworks that work across your entire organisationMeasuring success in dynamic, learning systemsBuilding competitive advantage through trustworthy AI ﻿For Design Leaders Under PressureDesigned for leaders who must deliver AI transformation while maintaining team confidence and executive credibility—who recognise that relationship design isn't just a new methodology, it's the fundamental shift that determines whether your organisation leads or follows. Whether you're currently:A UX Design Leader orchestrating team transformationA UX Research Leader scaling insights through AIA Strategic Design Leader defining AI-enhanced experiencesWhat unites our participants is their recognition that leading AI adoption requires something more nuanced than traditional management approaches. The Essential Leadership Outcomes You emerge with:Frameworks to guide teams building learning systems you can't fully predictLanguage to communicate AI value without technical BS to executivesProcesses that maintain quality while embracing non-deterministic outputsMetrics that prove relationship design delivers measurable business impactA network of leaders defining the standards everyone else will follow Most importantly, you join a community of leaders pioneering this emerging discipline; professionals who understand that the most valuable AI systems won't be those with impressive technical specifications, but those designed with profound understanding of human trust dynamics. A Limited ExperienceLimited to fifteen participants per cohortFocused on meaningful exchange and personal attentionA deliberate practice developed through engagement with fellow leaders "The leaders who recognise this shift first won't just survive the transition—they'll define what relationship design looks like for everyone else." ** This course can you considered as an Add-On to the Human-Centred AI : Building AI Systems People can Trust. https://maven.com/ai-flywheel/human-centred-ai

Lead with Trustworthy AI: Design, Innovate & Inspire

Weekly LIve Ethics Lesson 90 minute sessions where we unpack 1 ethical principle in depth and have peer to peer conversation.

Thursdays - Live Workshops

You'll be given<ul><li>&lt; 60 min of e-learning modules per week</li><li>practical exercises</li><li>micro-habits to apply learnings directly to your AI use in your daily work</li></ul>

Self paced learning 

You have access to BONUS lessons to build your personal AI literacy - this optional session is a group coaching opportunity for any questions or challenges you have using AI for your own work.

Optional - AI Help Office Hours

UX &amp; Design Directors : Balancing executive AI demands with your team's creative integrity and fear of replacement.

UX Research Leaders : Scaling research with AI whilst preserving methodological rigour and meaningful human insights.

Service Design Leader : Reimagining end-to-end experiences with Human+AI interactions whilst maintaining human agency and trust.

Who is this course for

You'll leave being able balance innovation with user trust, giving you confidence to lead AI initiatives that executives support.

1. Strategic AI Roadmap for Design Teams

Master proven design patterns that increase user trust in AI features by 30%. You'll learn exactly where transparency, human oversight, and error correction mechanisms create measurable improvements in adoption and retention.

2. Trust-Building Design Patterns 

Transform your designers from AI-overwhelmed to AI-empowered with frameworks that show exactly where AI enhances rather than threatens creativity. You'll restructure workflows that boost productivity whilst preserving your team's unique human value.

3. Team Transformation to AI-Enhanced Operations

Establish yourself as your organisation's trusted authority on Trustworthy AI design. You'll master the language, metrics and case studies that convince skeptical stakeholders, positioning you as the strategic bridge between technology and human experience.

4. Leadership Positioning Strategy

The live weekly sessions we unpack 1 ethical principle using a real world case study of an AI implementation that went wrong. Having peer-to-peer discussions and practice applying the ethical principle to a new case study. Allowing you to practice applying in safe space.

5. Real-World Implementation of AI Ethical Principles

Design leaders are under pressure -  expected to adopt AI, guide teams through change, protect creativity, and build trust at scale.

Lightning Lessons

10 Things You Need To Know Before Going “AI-First.”