Podcast Summary - Driving AI-Powered Change in L&D with Michelle Lentz of Innovate-Elevate Strategies
When you think of the people shaping how AI will influence Learning and Development (L&D), Michelle Lentz should be at the top of your list. As Lead Strategist for AI and Change Management at Innovate Elevate Strategies, she spends her days helping organizations navigate the intersection of artificial intelligence, HR, and L&D. But what makes Michelle stand out isn’t just her technical know-how, it’s her relentless focus on people.
The Path into AI and L&D
Michelle’s journey didn’t start with AI. She spent years working in corporate environments, including a stretch at UPS, before making a major career shift. A voluntary separation package gave her the chance to rethink her path just as ChatGPT-3 hit the scene. She began experimenting with it for practical tasks like writing resumes, researching roles, and role-playing interviews.
Even though the early models often “hallucinated,” she immediately saw the potential. In her next role, she was able to build AI strategy for companies, and from there, her passion for teaching others about AI’s role in learning really took off. Today, she designs AI strategies, teaches classes on Artificial Intelligence fundamentals, and lights up when she sees learners have that “aha” moment, when the potential of AI clicks and suddenly feels useful instead of overwhelming.
Busting Myths About AI in L&D
One of Michelle’s biggest frustrations? The assumption that AI can (or should) generate all learning content. She warns that over-relying on generative tools creates generic, click-next-style training, the kind the industry has worked hard to move away from.
Her approach is more balanced:
- Use AI to brainstorm, draft, or analyze.
- Keep the heart of content creation with skilled instructional designers.
- Leverage AI for feedback, refinement, and efficiency, but never as a wholesale replacement.
In other words, AI can be your creative partner, but it shouldn’t be the sole designer.
Real-World Impact
Michelle shared a powerful example from her current work conducting a learning audit. With more than 25 interviews captured, both in-person and virtual, the sheer volume of data could have taken weeks to analyze. By feeding transcripts into AI, she quickly surfaced key themes and patterns.
Instead of manually combing through hours of conversation, she generated a usable report in days. That’s not just about time saved; it’s about having more energy to focus on insights and recommendations. AI also helps her untangle complex SME interviews, making technical topics easier to understand and translate into training content.
Overcoming Resistance and Building Trust
According to Michelle, the biggest challenge with AI isn’t the technology, it’s the people.
When executives announce sweeping AI mandates, employees often react with fear: “If AI can do their job, what about mine?” That fear leads to resistance, sabotage, or passive refusal to adopt.
Michelle’s antidote:
- Acknowledge fears instead of brushing them aside.
- Involve employees in shaping AI strategy, people trust what they help create.
- Start small with pilots and iterate, instead of declaring “success” or “failure” too early.
She emphasizes that pilots are meant to be tested, adjusted, and tested again, ROI might not appear in three months, but it often does over a longer cycle.
The Governance Question
Michelle is passionate about governance, seeing it as critical for ethical, sustainable AI adoption. She argues for cross-functional AI oversight committees that include IT, legal, HR, L&D, and leadership.
L&D has a unique role here, she says, because learning leaders are closest to how employees will actually use AI. They should be directly involved in developing standards, training, and consequences for misuse. For years, L&D has been asking for a seat at the table, AI governance is one place they must claim it.
Skills That Matter Most
As AI grows, Michelle doesn’t think the human element will disappear, in fact, it becomes even more valuable. The skills she sees as essential include:
- Curiosity: a willingness to play, experiment, and explore AI’s possibilities.
- Critical thinking: knowing when to use AI, when not to, and how to interpret its output.
- Empathy: understanding the human reactions and emotions tied to AI adoption.
She’s even developed an AI decision matrix to help organizations decide when to lean on automation and when to rely on human expertise.
The Future of AI in Learning
Michelle sees designer roles evolving to be more data-driven. With AI simplifying the analysis of spreadsheets and trends, L&D professionals will need to focus on telling stories with data and designing training that addresses those findings.
She predicts learning will become more adaptive, moving beyond static workflows to AI-driven support that appears exactly when an employee needs it. Think performance support in the flow of work, not just big eLearning courses.
But she’s quick to point out that not everything can or should be automated. Sales training, for example, still thrives on live role play. The key is balance.
Advice for Overwhelmed Leaders
For L&D leaders staring down AI with uncertainty, Michelle’s advice is simple: start small. Find one frustrating workflow and experiment. Automate a scheduling task, try summarizing meeting notes, or play with prompts for 10 hours to get comfortable.
The point isn’t to transform everything overnight, it’s to build confidence, measure progress, and slowly scale what works.
Consultants and AI Readiness
For consultants, Michelle says positioning yourself as AI-ready doesn’t mean being a coder. It’s about:
- Understanding risks and governance.
- Learning enough technical language to connect business needs with engineering realities.
- Demonstrating transparency and ethical use.
- Constantly experimenting and learning.
In short, it’s not about hype—it’s about fluency, adaptability, and credibility.
10 Ways L&D Departments
Are Using AI in 2025
Ready to Work with Us?
Does your L&D team have more projects than people? TrainingPros has been named a Top 20 Staffing Company internationally by Training Industry, and recognized as a Smartchoice® Preferred Provider by Brandon Hall Group for 2025. We’re also proud to be named a Champion of Learning by the Association for Talent Development (ATD)—an international honor that reflects our dedication to excellence in corporate learning. These accolades underscore TrainingPros’ unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality, tailored training solutions.
If your projects need instructional design consultants, eLearning developers, or other L&D consultants for your custom content projects, reach out to one of our industry-expert relationship managers today.
When you have more projects than people™, let TrainingPros find the right consultant to start your project with confidence. Schedule a consultation today.
