Most AI upskilling advice skips the one thing that actually opens doors: community.

Juan Faisal talks with Rita Sargsyan, IDEAS Program Director and VC Startups Ambassador at AI LA, about what real access looks like for people outside the usual pipeline (especially creatives, students, and anyone without a traditional tech background).

🤖 Why it matters

AI tools are accessible. Real access isn’t.

Without networks, mentorship, and real-world feedback, most people stall or stay overwhelmed.

🤖 You’ll learn

- How the IDEAS program trains community college students in AI

- Why self-doubt holds back non-technical creatives

- What to do when you feel “late” to AI

- Why confidence comes faster through action than online certs

🤖 Guest: Rita Sargsyan

IDEAS Program Director and VC Startups Ambassador, AI LA

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritasargsyan

- IDEAS Program: https://www.joinai.la/ideas

- AI LA Events: https://lu.ma/aila-events

- AI on the Lot 2025: https://www.aionthelot.com/

🤖 Host: Juan Faisal

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajuanfaisal/

- Newsletter: https://juanfaisal.substack.com/

- Website: https://juanfaisal.com/

🤖 Timestamps

00:00 Rita Sargsyan’s background in AI and access

01:31 Why AI needs diverse, non-technical talent

03:24 Getting started with ChatGPT and AI tools

05:55 Overcoming fear and shyness around tech

09:46 Inside the IDEAS program for college students

13:20 How networking builds confidence

16:14 Creatives and the tension with AI

18:56 Learning to use AI as a creative superpower

20:01 Prompt engineering and emerging roles

21:54 What to expect at AI on the Lot 2025

24:33 Where to find Rita and how to get involved