KEYNOTES & WORKSHOPS
FOR LEADERS IN THE AI AGE.
Disney Storyteller. AI Strategist.
“Michael knows how to command a room with humor, fascinating insights, and genuine authenticity that is unmatched.”
Author of bestselling books endorsed by:
United Nations • Arthur C. Brooks • Michael E. Gerber • Mark Victor Hansen
Foreword by Howie MandelAI ADVANTAGE • INTELLIGENCE UNLEASHED • SMARTS AT SCALE • STORYTELLING THAT BUILDS TRUST
AI ADVANTAGE • INTELLIGENCE UNLEASHED • SMARTS AT SCALE • STORYTELLING THAT BUILDS TRUST
Featured Speaking Topics
Hollywood Storytelling Secrets to Close More Deals
Your prospects have a 4-second attention span and a hundred other options. The only thing that cuts through is a story — told correctly. As a former Disney screenwriter turned business author, Michael teaches his proprietary CBO framework: Create the Hook, Bring the Pain, Offer the Reversal. Teams that apply it don't just tell better stories. They close more business. Immediately.
By the end of this talk, you will be able to:
Hook prospects with a compelling story about your business.
Write/tell a story about your company, demonstrating your value.
Confidently talk about how you help clients, leading to more revenue.
From Cave Paintings to Code: How Tools Have Shaped Human Expression
From ancient cave paintings to the invention of writing, the printing press, the typewriter, and today’s digital platforms, humans have always used tools to express themselves, share knowledge, and build connections. An exploration of the surprising through-line between these breakthroughs and how each era’s tools have shaped not only what we communicate, but how we think, create, and tell stories.
Intelligence Unleashed: What You Can Do with Smarts at Scale
The Information Age gave us tools that retrieved information and followed commands. The Intelligence Age gives us something fundamentally different: a synthetic thought partner that learns, remembers, drafts, plans, simulates, and builds alongside humans. This is smarts at scale: the democratization of genius-level intelligence for every business. It's already changing how companies compete and win. Why not yours?
Michael walks through the most compelling developments reshaping business right now: Hollywood-quality video you can speak into existence. A personal board of advisors composed of history's greatest business minds, resurrected via LLMs. Autonomous AI agents that exponentially multiply your productivity. The takeaway is practical. The insights are mind-expanding. Science fiction is becoming science fact, and the companies that master these tools first will dominate their markets. Learn how to out-AI your competition with this talk.
Innovative Talks, Real Impact.
Forbes AI columnist and former Disney screenwriter, Michael shows executives and organizations how to out-think, out-communicate, and out-AI their competition.
Michael Ashley has operated at the intersection of storytelling and technology for two decades. As a screenwriter for Disney and later a bestselling business author and Forbes columnist, he developed a rare ability: translating complex, fast-moving ideas into narratives that move people to act. His recent book Neuromined: Triumphing over Technological Tyranny (Fast Company Press) won Best Technology Book of 2024. His AI book Own the A.I. Revolution (McGraw-Hill) was named one of Soundview's top business books and launched at the United Nations. He co-authored The Generosity Crisis (Wiley, 2022), endorsed by Arthur C. Brooks and an Amazon Best Seller in three categories.
Michael keynotes monthly for Vistage, YPO, EO, ProVisors, SXSW, and the American Bar Association, and teaches at the intersection of AI, leadership, and human connection.He is an in-demand speaker who keynotes monthly for various organizations, including Vistage, Provisors,YPO, EO, The American Bar Association, and SXSW.
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