Nearly 9 in 10 CIOs believe AI will be as significant to their business as the internet, according to a Salesforce survey of 150 enterprise CIOs with more than 1,000 employees. However, many organizations fail to realize the most value from their investments in AI for a straightforward (and fixable) reason: They aren’t training their employees to use this new technology.
A 2023 survey by the Boston Consulting Group found that 86% of workers believe they need AI training, but only 14% of front-line workers said they had received any upskilling training. Likewise, a 2023 study by Randstad USA, a staffing agency, found that only 1 in 10 workers had been offered AI-specific training.
This lack of training means your employees won’t possess the necessary skills to use AI effectively and safely. Nor will they—or your organization—be able to gain the most value from AI.
AI Training Is Fundamental
Fortunately, business and IT leaders who aren’t currently providing their employees with training in AI can play catch-up by exploring the educational approaches of other organizations and selecting the ones that work best for them. Here are a handful of popular AI training approaches:
Launch a GenAI 101 program
At KPMG, employees can take a GenAI 101 training program in which they learn the basics of using generative AI, such as writing prompts, and understand the risks and ethics involved with AI. A key component of the GenAI 101 training is a required “Trusted AI” program, which teaches employees to use AI responsibly and ethically.
Establish communities of learning
At Mineral, which provides compliance and HR guidance to small and medium-sized businesses, the training strategy involves communities of learning in which pods of four employees each experiment with ChatGPT under the supervision of trained instructors and managers.
Create boot camps
Some companies partner with local colleges and universities to create boot camps in which custom AI skills content is provided for their employees.
Roll out a playground
LinkedIn, Harvard University, and other organizations have created generative AI “playgrounds” that feature software, domain-specific data, and policies so employees can learn about generative AI and improve their skills in a controlled, safe environment.
Host AI events
Ally Financial hosts quarterly AI Days, during which employees meet with expert speakers and watch live demos of AI tools.
Use a third-party provider
Another option is enlisting the help of third-party providers. The online academy Udemy, for instance, offers more than 1,500 classes related to ChatGPT and prompt engineering. Similarly, edX provides over 500 AI-related courses and features content related to specific industries such as education and health care. And Microsoft and LinkedIn have worked together to create a free training program, “AI Ready,” that teaches people how to use generative AI productively, responsibly, and ethically. The program is available on LinkedIn.
Whether you develop your curriculum, use third-party instructional materials, or establish learning communities depends on what works best for your organization. The bottom line, though, is your employees won’t be able to get the most value from AI unless they’re trained—and trained well—on how to use it.
