Few industries are immune to the need for an AI learning strategy: a paper investigating the economic impact of ChatGPT concluded that large language models (LLMs) alone could impact at least 10% of the tasks of 80% of the US workforce, and that's before any additional software or tools are added.
Yet many leaders appear to be slow to add AI learning opportunities to their employee development strategies, with a recent UiPath survey revealing that more than half of employees say they have not received any AI education or guidelines for using AI in the workplace.
Providing your employees with development opportunities to gain AI skills and explore all that the technology is capable of is a strategic imperative for two very important reasons: your competitors have already learned how to leverage AI to their advantage, and your employees are likely to explore AI even without formal guidance.
How to develop an AI learning and workforce development strategy
So where do you start? First, organizations need to root their AI learning strategy in their overall business goals and deeply align it with their learning and employee development strategy.
- What outcome do you hope to achieve?
- How will those outcomes be measured?
- What are your organization’s perspectives and priorities regarding AI?
- How do you want your employees to use AI?
- What AI skills do you need in your workforce?
- What are the governance and ethical considerations?
Clarifying these questions is the first step to developing an effective AI learning and AI preparation program.
The details of your AI learning strategy will vary depending on your industry and business goals. At my company, Centric Consulting, we're still designing our AI learning and employee development strategy, but we've found that successful programs have these characteristics:
Explore the relationship between humans and technology. The first step of any AI learning program should aim to dispel fears that AI will take over jobs.
Before diving into technical information, help your learners understand the relationship between humans and technology. How can AI augment our skills? What can technology not replace? To ensure your learners have the right mindset and are comfortable using AI in the workplace, emphasize that AI as a tool is a partnership.
Communicate the value proposition of AI. Adult learners need to understand why it is important to learn something and what it will do for them. Strategically position your AI value proposition to get employees excited about diving in and exploring how to incorporate the technology into their workflows.
The value proposition needs to go beyond efficiency gains from AI: After all, there is an argument to be made that efficiency gains benefit the company more than the individual employee.
“People are obsessed with freeing up the human workforce, but that's often a metric that's part of a larger value proposition you can achieve,” says Ed Challis, head of AI strategy at UiPath. “For example, if you can write an article four times faster, it's not about speed, it's about increasing reach. You can write for new publications, or spend twice as much time researching to produce higher quality articles that reach a larger audience.”
Fundamentals of AI learning for use cases. Case-based learning shares practical examples that help employees quickly understand how AI can be applied to their jobs, and the workshop format is a great way to give employees an opportunity to learn the technology, try out new AI skills, and discuss them.
“The most effective training I can do is give people concrete examples that are relevant to their work,” Challis says. “Break down their notion that AI is an all-purpose technology and break it down into something that can summarize more articles, take call notes, or write emails quickly with references. That way, the anxiety and fear melts away and you inspire the art of the possible.”
Hire AI champions. Some employees are enthusiastic about AI and have already done their own research. Others aren't. Involve your AI champion to bring everyone together and bridge the gap between early adopters and laggards. Your AI champion should front and center and promote any AI content, programs, or courses you develop. “Everyone should be familiar with AI capabilities and know specific people who can help them execute on their ideas,” Challis points out.
Managers also play a key role in enabling AI learning: they need to introduce tools, answer learners' questions, and facilitate discussions about how to apply AI to specific projects and roles.
Balance different knowledge levels. Getting everyone on the same page is difficult, but it's important to design and create AI learning content for all your employees — you don't want to bore your experts, nor do you want to alienate your AI novices.
Include examples of AI that everyone can relate to. For example, in my company's internal Introduction to AI course, we use an AI-created video series about a dog meeting a robot cat. This safely wraps AI concepts in a storyline while also showcasing real-world AI design techniques, resulting in an innovative packaged learning experience.
Another solution is to mix and match live cohorts so that the more tech-savvy can help those who aren't, which has the added benefit of fostering a sense of community and camaraderie around AI learning.
Be flexible and adaptable. AI learning programs and courses need to be dynamic to keep up with the ever-evolving technology. Content that is packed with technical details can quickly become outdated, so it's best to create smaller pieces of content that can be easily swapped out as AI advances. Plus, flexible microlearning opportunities are easier to fit into the busy schedule of the average modern employee.
AI learning programs don’t need to be perfect
It's important to remember that your AI learning program doesn't have to be perfect, but it needs to be added to your employee development program now. Embedding your AI learning strategy in your organization's business objectives, designing a program that fits your learners' current situation, exploring practical ways to use AI in their daily work, and encouraging experimentation will help your employees expand their skill sets and stay competitive in an AI-powered world.