Prioritize Human Comprehension: Ensure Your Staff Grasp AI Concepts First
Embracing an AI-centric mentality doesn't just happen overnight. To prepare for the AI revolution, both leaders and employees need to develop an AI-first mindset that tackles the challenges ahead. This emphasis on training and education about AI becomes crucial in ensuring a smooth transition.
According to a student-led survey published in EdTech, a staggering 65% of students admitted to not having the opportunity to take an AI-specific or AI-inclusive course at their university. Additionally, only 3% felt confident that their education would help them secure a job involving AI. The lack of AI education isn't limited to students, though. While more workers are using AI in their jobs than ever before, only 31% reported receiving employer-provided training on AI tools, as per a survey released by Jobs for the Future.
Adam Brotman and Andy Sack, authors of "AI First: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand", stress the importance of an AI-first policy being rooted in education and training. Without it, progress will be slowed significantly.
"An AI-first mindset requires a commitment to ongoing education about AI technologies and their potential applications," they wrote. "It encourages experimentation and learning from both successes and failures, ensuring that teams stay ahead of technology advancements."
Educational programs should focus on building AI proficiency across the organization, covering AI basics, applications, and potential impacts on various business functions. Ultimately, this education and training facilitate "proper governance and process for scaling AI within your company," they added. "You can't effectively advise the company on an appropriate AI use policy or help prioritize potential AI pilots if you don't have a basic understanding of how the foundational AI systems work."
Organizations progress through four key stages in developing an AI-first mindset:
- AI literacy: This initial stage focuses on individual use of AI for basic search and information retrieval. Organizations, on the other hand, use AI at this stage primarily for cost-cutting, with AI implemented for simple content creation and customer chatbots.
- AI proficiency: At this stage, individuals start using AI for more complex tasks, while organizations begin to employ AI for workforce automation, advanced content creation, and detailed customer interaction. AI also becomes integrated into various departments to enhance productivity.
- AI fluency: This advanced stage sees individuals demonstrating the ability to innovate with AI and create solutions that significantly boost personal productivity. Organizations at this level leverage AI for strategy, margin improvement, and competitive differentiation. They use AI for strategic decision-making and resource allocation, driving greater innovation and achieving significant impacts on business margins and market position.
Notably, adopting an AI-first mentality borrows from the "lean" approach to management, emphasizing continuous improvement and innovations through interactive cycles of build, measure, and learning. By following this approach, organizations can smoothly transition to an AI-led future.
- Amidst the growing AI revolution, it's essential for both individuals and organizations to foster an AI-first mindset through ongoing education about AI technologies and their applications, as advocated by Adam Brotman and Andy Sack in their book "AI First: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand."
- In the process of developing an AI-first mindset, educational programs should emphasize the importance of building AI proficiency across the organization, which includes understanding AI basics, applications, and potential impacts on various business functions, facilitating proper governance and process for scaling AI within the company.
