The integration of Generative AI (GenAI) into professional practice extends far beyond technical proficiency of these tools. Responsible and rigorous use of GenAI tools require more than just mere tool manipulation: it demands the development of sophisticated soft skills and metacognitive thinking frameworks to enable professionals to create innovative GenAI-drive solutions that enable them to meaningfully augment their work.

The adult education landscape, however, presents significant challenges when teaching such emerging technologies, particularly to professionals hailing from diverse backgrounds with varying levels of technological comfort levels. Conventional adult teaching approaches often create unintended barriers to engagement. When presenting work-related learning scenarios, professionals can easily become disengaged, perceiving the activities as either too abstract or insufficiently relevant to their specific professional context.

This paper discusses a significant andragogical breakthrough: the use of role-playing scenarios that are deliberately removed from professional contexts. This may appear counter-intuitive, yet by situating learning in recreational and personally meaningful contexts, educators can create a more conducive learning environment for adult learners to effectively acquire the skills and competencies despite their varied differences. This approach creates a low-stakes enjoyable learning environment that feels less intimidating. Learners can temporarily suspend their professional identities to adopt alternative roles that allow them to embark uninhibitedly in their explorations without fear of judgement about their professional competencies. They can freely engage with the tools, make mistakes while experimenting, and progressively build sophisticated competencies.

These seemingly unrelated experiences thus become powerful conduits for skills transfer, enabling professionals to develop nuanced AI collaboration capabilities that feel intuitive and can be easily extended and applied to their work contexts. Ultimately, this role-playing methodology serves as a catalyst for genuine skills acquisition, enabling professionals who previously felt alienated by technological advancements to become curious, confident, and technologically empowered.

Keywords: GenAI, Generative AI, AI, Andragogy, Pedagogy, Role-playing, Psychological Safety, Play.