AI in Action: A Hands-On Board Workshop

In Person  |  May 29, 2025  |  1:00 PM - 6:00 PM CDT  |  Houston, TX

This highly interactive session brought corporate directors together for a deep dive into how artificial intelligence is reshaping strategy, governance, and long-term value creation.

Led by expert facilitators from KUNGFU.AI and KPMG, the workshop featured real-world case studies, practical frameworks, and hands-on exercises. Participants explored AI maturity models, tackled governance dilemmas, and practiced guiding AI-related decisions at the board level.

Rather than just hearing about AI, directors actively engaged with it—leaving the session better equipped to ask the right questions, assess strategic alignment, and lead with confidence in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Learning Outcomes

1. Develop a clear mental model for evaluating AI strategies across different maturity levels—learning how to ask the right questions, assess alignment with enterprise goals, and guide management through decisions and trade-offs.
2. Understand how AI reshapes governance responsibilities and gain practical tools to anticipate and respond to real-world dilemmas like unintentional failures, brand damage, and stakeholder pressure.
3. Practice guiding management through AI-related inflection points with hands-on exercises that simulate real board decision-making to drive value and impact.

Workshop Resources

NACD:

• 2024 Blue Ribbon Commission report - Technology Leadership in the Boardroom: Driving Trust and Value
• AI at the Crossroads: Revamping Board Structures for Effective Governance
• In an Era of AI, Boards Must Disrupt Legacy Leadership
• Responsible AI by Design: It’s Not Compliance, It’s Culture
• Scaling Generative AI Solutions and Fostering an AI-First Approach
• Total Information Mastery: Enterprise AI Strategy, Risks, and Road Map
• Tuning Corporate Governance for AI Adoption

KPMG:

• 2025 Survey: Boardroom Lens on Generative AI
• AI Quarterly Pulse Survey

KUNGFU.AI:

• Board AI Primer
• Register Today - AI Leaders Summit | Houston | June 3-4

Workshop Facilitators

Chief Strategy Officer, KUNGFU.AI

Benjamin Herndon

Benjamin Herndon is the chief strategy officer at KUNGFU.AI, applying more than 30 years of experience developing strategies for organizations...

Read Full Bio

AI Strategist, KUNGFU.AI

Emma Pirchalski

Emma Pirchalski is an AI strategist at KUNGFU.AI with a passion for helping organizations adopt AI responsibly and effectively…

Read Full Bio

Partner, KPMG Studio Leader, KPMG US

Anu Puvvada

Anu Puvvada is a partner in the KPMG enterprise innovation group. Puvvada leads KPMG Studio, where she brings a start-up mindset into how KPMG innovates new services and technologies, including developing strategy, implementing start-up-driven processes for innovation, crafting innovation culture initiatives, and facilitating targeted ideation challenges…

Read Full Bio

Co-Founder & CEO, KUNGFU.AI

Stephen Straus

Stephen Straus is a serial entrepreneur and former venture capitalist who has started, ran, and successfully sold two companies. He was also a Kauffman Fellow and a general partner at Austin Ventures, at the time the largest venture capital between the two coasts, during the dot-com boom and bust. He is a graduate of Colgate University and received his master of business administration from Harvard Business School…

Read Full Bio

Thank You to Our Workshop Partners

KPMG is one of the world's leading professional services firms and the fastest growing Big Four accounting firm in the United States. They're leading the industry in new and exciting ways. KPMG's size and strength make them much more agile and responsive to changing trends.

valuating AI strategy across maturity levels to navigating governance dilemmas and weighing tough trade-offs, directors left with the tools and confidence to guide their companies through the age of AI.

KUNGFU.AI is a management consulting and engineering firm focused exclusively on artificial intelligence. They empower Boards, CEOs, and senior executives to leverage the full potential of AI so their companies remain competitive in a rapidly evolving world. Their expert team delivers AI strategy, governance, and bespoke production-grade solutions that allow clients to rapidly realize value. Kungfu.ai stand apart because they implement their leading-edge AI strategies into production quickly, safely, and responsibly.