About Me
Why I do this work and how I got here.
Quick Version
I help people and organizations adopt AI in practical, human-first ways. My focus is not tool hype. It is real behavior change.
How It Started
I grew up with ADHD but did not know it until my mid-20s. As a history graduate working as an executive assistant, I spent years feeling like I was constantly fighting my own brain.
That changed when I found AI and automation. What started as tools to manage my own challenges became a mission to help other people discover what is possible when the right support meets the right tools.
What Changed
AI did not just help me work better. It helped me think differently about work itself. I started building systems for clarity, not just efficiency, and saw the same patterns help teams far beyond my own context.
Career Path
I studied Public & Comparative History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, specializing in records management and knowledge systems. My career moved from Executive Assistant to the President of ThreeSixty Group (the company behind Sharper Image and FAO Schwarz) to AI Product Manager at RENPHO, where I built an AI division from scratch.
In 2024, I left that stable role to start AICBO — free, one-on-one AI tutoring sessions for anyone who wanted to learn. What began as a small experiment became 160+ sessions and eventually led to co-founding Adaptig and joining DotAI as a founding member.
I learned a simple truth: adoption is rarely a tool problem. It is a people problem. Skills matter, but psychological safety is what gets people to start.
What I Believe
Humans are the point.
AI is a tool. The goal is meaningful work.
Start with the smallest step.
Small wins compound into real change.
Psychological safety comes first.
People do not adopt what they fear.
Frameworks beat features.
Tools change. Thinking patterns endure.
Signature Frameworks
I create named, repeatable thinking patterns that make AI adoption feel concrete instead of abstract. A few examples:
Traffic Light Framework
Red / Yellow / Green classification for AI task suitability. Helps teams quickly assess what to delegate, what to co-create, and what to keep human.
IPA Framework
Input → Process → Audit. A three-step mental model for working with any AI tool safely and effectively.
C-How Thinking
Bridges left-brain logic and right-brain creativity through structured prompting. Used in engineering and design workshops.
AI Pioneer Program
A 6-session cohort model based on change management. Train 10-20 internal champions who drive adoption across the wider organization.
70/30 Split
70% AI execution, 30% human judgment. A principle for delegating work to AI while keeping critical thinking with the human.
AI Maturity Model
Four stages from Awareness to Transformation. Helps organizations diagnose where they are and what to do next.
What I've Built
- Adaptig - Co-founded global trainer network spanning North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
- DotAI - Founding member of Hong Kong's practical AI training community.
- AICBO - 160+ one-on-one coaching sessions with professionals across industries.
- RENPHO AI Division - Led strategic AI transformation and team capability building.
- PromptBox - Built internal LLM workflows for daily operations.
- AI Pioneer Program - A change management-driven model for building internal AI champions, now in second batch deployment.
- Fooocus Traditional Chinese - Contributed translation for wider AI accessibility.
You can still browse the full timeline in Projects.
What leaders say
Voices from CEOs and founders I have worked with.
“I absolutely loved this lesson — very useful! Sam did a fantastic job explaining NotebookLM using a real-life example, making it easy to understand since we encounter similar situations all the time.”
“Sam is deeply experienced and professional. The way he teaches vibe coding, Stripe integration, and website deployment — he knows the full stack inside out. 100% recommend this course!”
Why This Matters
What motivates me is the shift from “AI is not for me” to “I can use this.” We are in a major transition, and people who learn to think alongside AI while staying human will thrive.