Welcome to the very first episode of "Leaders in the Loop," where we’re exploring the intersection of leadership, learning, and the rapidly evolving landscape of AI. In this debut episode, your hosts Dan Jenkins (leadership professor and development expert) and Gaurav Khanna (Cisco AI Executive and AI educator) lay the groundwork for their unique partnership—and the podcast itself. Episode Highlights: ----more---- Origin Story:Dan and Gaurav share how they met via a LinkedIn cold call and quickly found common ground as educators passionate about generative AI. Their collaboration grew out of the International Leadership Association (ILA) Global Summit on AI & Leadership, where they co-chaired sessions and later co-authored a scholarly article. The Value of Networks:Both hosts discuss how community-building and professional networks have played a pivotal role in advancing their understanding of AI, especially at this early and ever-changing stage of the technology. Teaching AI and Leadership:Gaurav walks through his journey of developing an AI course series at Stanford Continuing Studies. He shares insights on curriculum design, scaffolding complex concepts, and weaving ethics throughout the learning experience. Real-World Applications:The hosts talk in-depth about how generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and NotebookLM are integrated into both teaching and daily workflow—whether it’s for writing, curriculum development, or analyzing qualitative data. Ethics and the Human Element:The conversation turns philosophical as Dan and Gaurav discuss their biggest hopes and fears about AI. They stress the importance of remaining “in the loop”—ensuring that AI enhances rather than replaces human thought, and that ethics remain a central conversation. Rapid Fire Round:To finish, the hosts answer quick, fun questions about their favorite AI books, influencers, teaching prompts, musical tastes, and more. Key Takeaways: The future of AI is not just for engineers; leaders and educators from every discipline must develop AI literacy and ethical awareness. Real stories and practical tools are at the heart of integrating AI into leadership, education, healthcare, business, and beyond. Building communities—and keeping humans at the center of AI conversations—will be critical as the technology continues to evolve. Next Up: Stay tuned for the next episode, where Dan and Gaurav dive into their co-authored article for the Journal of Leadership Studies, breaking down actionable takeaways for bringing generative AI into learning and development. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate us five stars and subscribe to help more leaders stay in the loop! Mentioned Resources & Influencers: Cointelligence by Ethan Mollick The Alignment Problem by Brian Christian The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman StatQuest (YouTube, Josh Starmer) The Neuron newsletter Connect with Us: Questions, comments, or want to join the conversation? Reach out via our channels or email us at leadersintheloop.ai@gmail.com and stay tuned for more episodes! Thanks for listening to "Leaders in the Loop"!