Frequently Asked Questions 

  • Gen AI Academy (GAIA) is a hands-on AI training and enablement partner that helps CEOs, leadership teams, and their organizations turn AI from buzzword into real productivity and decision leverage. Our work is intensely focused on practical adoption – equipping teams to apply AI effectively in day-to-day work.

  • At GAIA, we’re motivated by people – not just technology. We believe AI is most powerful when it helps individuals and teams feel more capable, more connected, and more confident in their work. What drives us is seeing how a few hours of focused, practical guidance can change how people think, collaborate, and lead.

  • Shaped by deep CEO and C-suite experience, GAIA is guided by an executive perspective that recognizes AI’s business potential demands direct CEO attention to remain competitive. Our workshops are designed specifically for CEOs who want real-world application – cutting through hype to focus on practical, high-impact use. To date, we’ve delivered multi-hour workshops to approximately 350 CEOs, with consistently strong, positive feedback.

  • GAIA works across the leadership spectrum, including:

    • CEOs and executive teams setting direction and priorities

    • Senior and functional leaders translating strategy into action

    • Teams responsible for execution, applying AI in day-to-day work

  • GAIA works across for-profit companies, nonprofit organizations, and higher education institutions. We’ve supported leaders and teams in a wide range of industries – including banking, legal services, energy, engineering, life sciences, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, consumer products, and education. Our approach is designed to adapt to each organization’s context, ensuring AI is applied in ways that are relevant, practical, and aligned with industry realities.

  • GAIA is built around practical adoption and real business impact. Key differences include:

    • Hands-on focus: Approximately 75% of each session is spent actively building and applying AI, not listening to lectures

    • Business and leadership-first approach: No technical background is required—sessions are designed for decision-makers and operators

    • Deep personalization: AI tools and use cases are customized to each participant’s role, company, and goals

    • Immediate, practical outcomes: Attendees leave with customized tools they can use in their daily work from day one

  • You can expect a highly hands-on experience focused on applying advanced AI capabilities to real-world business use cases and strategic thinking. Participants actively build AI tools and workflows tailored to their specific context – ready for immediate use in day-to-day work.

  • Hands-on work is core to GAIA’s approach. Rather than demos or lectures, the majority of session time is spent actively building personalized AI tools and workflows tailored to your real-world context.

  • We show participants how to turn generic AI into their AI by:

    • Creating clear instructions that guide how AI should think, respond, and support their work

    • Grounding AI in real context – including role, company priorities, and specific goals

    • Providing rich, structured materials that give AI relevant, tailored context to work from

    When personalization, clear instructions, and rich context are combined, the quality and usefulness of AI as a day-to-day assistant increases dramatically.

  • Yes. Participants leave with customized AI assistants designed to support decision-making, problem-solving, and daily workflows. These include project-specific use cases, repeatable workflows, and practical solutions that can be used immediately after the workshop.

  • Leaders can expect outcomes that translate directly into day-to-day impact, including:

    • Energized, confident teams ready to embrace AI in their work

    • Faster, higher-quality leadership decisions supported by AI

    • Meaningful productivity gains across writing, research, planning, and analysis

    • Clear standards and guardrails for responsible AI use

  • Immediately. Many leaders describe an early, “eye-opening” moment during the workshop that fundamentally changes how they think about what’s possible for themselves, their teams, and their organization.

  • GAIA begins by establishing a clear baseline before training. We gather data on participants’ AI-related mindset, skills, experience, and aspirations to understand where teams are starting. After training, follow-up surveys and assessments can help clients gauge how capabilities have changed and how AI is being applied in real workflows. 

    • Executive sessions focus on strategy, governance, risk, and how leaders can use AI as a force multiplier across the organization

    • Staff sessions focus on hands-on workflows, practical use cases, and repeatable daily application of AI in individual and team roles

  • GAIA designs engagements for sustained adoption – not one-time exposure. We often work across multiple sessions, with time in between for teams to apply new skills in real work. Follow-on sessions reinforce learning and deepen capability, and we offer refresh sessions so leaders and teams stay current as AI platforms and use cases evolve.

  • GAIA currently supports the most widely adopted enterprise AI platforms, including:

    • ChatGPT

    • Microsoft Copilot

    • Google Gemini

    If your organization uses a different AI platform, please reach out. Our training can be tailored to align with your enterprise environment and requirements.

  • Yes. We help leaders evaluate options in the context of their existing systems, processes, and constraints. We provide guidance on governance, risk, and responsible use – so you can make an informed platform choice that best fits your organization’s needs and operating environment.

  • Not always. While paid tiers can unlock features that matter for business workflows, we advise on what’s appropriate based on your goals, existing access, and organizational security policies.

  • GAIA’s work typically does not require storing or processing sensitive client data. When engagements involve temporary access to client systems, we follow least-privilege access, do not retain client data, and remove any materials used once the engagement concludes. Our approach reflects responsible, enterprise-appropriate security practices for a training and advisory organization.

  • Yes. We work within your existing IT and security policies to help clarify acceptable use and responsible AI practices. For more complex compliance or security requirements, we can also collaborate with trusted partners who specialize in AI security.

  • Yes. We can review and provide guidance on existing AI governance policies, or support the design of a corporate AI policy tailored to your business, industry, and risk profile.

  • GAIA offers flexible formats designed to meet leaders and teams where they are, including:

    • Executive sessions focused on strategy, governance, and leadership leverage

    • Hands-on team workshops centered on practical, real-world application

    • Multi-session programs that can include advanced skills development over time

    • Follow-on refresh or update sessions to reinforce learning and adoption

    • Customized build sessions focused on developing role- or team-specific AI tools and workflows

  • Training sessions are typically 3–4 hours. During a discovery call, we work with you to understand your team, goals, and current stage in the AI journey, and use that context to define the format and length that will be most effective.

  • Most workshops are designed for 10–20 participants, allowing for deep personal focus and effective team collaboration. GAIA has also delivered sessions for much larger groups, including workshops with up to 130 participants.

  • Yes. GAIA delivers both in-person and remote workshops globally, including for distributed teams.

  • Pricing is based on the format, audience size, level of customization, and whether follow-on support is included. We begin with a complimentary AI Discovery Session to understand your goals, constraints, and context, then recommend a right-sized engagement with clear scope and pricing.

  • Reach out to GAIA here schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery call. The conversation is focused on understanding your goals and context, and determining how GAIA can best support your organization.