- Companies are teaching employees how to use AI in the workplace to address the AI talent shortage.
- Employers will provide a help desk for videos, custom learning plans, and generated AI instruction.
- Despite the learning curve, employees typically embrace learning tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Companies are getting creative to show employees the ropes of using AI, even if some employees don't want to learn.
Since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT in November 2022, businesses have been exploring ways to use generative AI tools for their employees to increase productivity, save time, and increase revenue.
But some employees don't know how. According to a Deloitte survey, only 47% of business leaders said they felt their companies were doing enough to teach employees how to use AI.
This may be why big tech companies are offering up to seven-figure salaries to attract top AI expertise.
“There is definitely a shortage of AI talent,” Alex Libre, co-founder and lead recruiter at Einstellen Talent, a service that matches job seekers with generative AI startups, told BI.
Upskilling programs can help fill that gap. Some companies are launching initiatives to teach employees the latest AI tools and how to use them to do their jobs better.
“We all need to become AI people.” Kian Catanforouch, CEO of Workera, a platform that creates personalized learning courses for employees, told BI. “Otherwise, you may not reach your full potential.”
AI training efforts appear to vary by company
Employers are designing their own programs to teach employees how to use AI, hoping it will lead to increased productivity.
Hyland, an enterprise software company, is considering an AI curriculum specifically for its IT team and hopes at least 50% of its employees will take the course this year.
So far, the company says it is providing training content to introduce AI concepts to its employees. It includes 3-4 hours worth of videos from vendors like Microsoft and Amazon Web Services on the basics of AI, the history of the technology, and how to create the best prompts.
“I think AI is a huge turning point,” Stephen Watt, senior vice president and chief information officer at Highland, told BI. “If someone is going to be successful in their career over the next 10 to 15 years, this has to be a toolset that they are very comfortable using.”
Other companies are looking to rely on third-party experts to assist with upskilling efforts. His Ensono, an IT services provider, is learning how its marketing team can use custom AI bots for tasks such as tools like his ChatGPT, image generators like DALL-E and Midjourney, and even content. The company said it has hired an external consultant with expertise in AI to look into the issue. Creation and image development.
The consultants then created a 30-day help desk that marketers could call for advice on how to use tools like SEO analysis and competitive research more quickly. Now, Ensono encourages its employees to ask each other for help and share advice.
“We've gotten to the point where our marketing team has developed some pretty strong insights across these 10 use cases, but we're looking for more,” said Jonathan Bumba, chief marketing officer at Ensono. ”. he told BI.
However, not all companies created AI education programs from scratch. Booz Allen Hamilton, a 34,000-employee management consulting firm, created the 34,000-employee management consulting firm before the advent of ChatGPT in his 3-hour AI Literacy course, which includes a 9-minute module that explains everything you need to know about generative AI. states that it has been added.
In addition, the government contractor created a personalized AI skills development curriculum for engineers working on machine learning and consultants advising clients on AI strategies.
“This has been a 10-year planned effort,” Joe Rohner, vice president of AI at Booz Allen Hamilton, told BI, adding that the company has been exploring data science and coding applications since the early 2010s. Ta. “There is a need for AI talent that is not being met by the current job market or university system,” he said.
Employees are open to using AI despite some skepticism
After some initial resistance to adopting the technology, companies told BI that most employees are now embracing AI with open arms.
Since launching the skills training initiative and convincing employees that AI would make their jobs easier, Bumba says most of the staff on Ensono's marketing team are using AI.
“I think everyone is feeling overworked,” says Ensono's CMO. “Improving productivity is the only way you can manage your workload and achieve work-life balance.”
Watt said Hyland is using more than just positive messaging to encourage employees to embrace AI. The company also allows its IT team to take classes during work hours as part of their career development. Those who run the program are “celebrated” and encouraged to discuss what they are learning with their teammates. The company is also considering offering prizes and other incentives to get more people to sign up.
“Those who don't understand this are probably putting their own usefulness at risk,” Watt says.
Even some of the most skeptical employees were on board with using AI. According to Bumba, the lead writer for Ensono's quarterly report was “terrified” of implementing tools like ChatGPT in the workplace due to concerns that they posed a risk to job security. That's what it means. But the CMO said things quickly changed after her leaders reassured her that her job was “very safe and secure.”
“She's probably our biggest power user right now,” Bumba says.
Learning new technology can be difficult
Still, employers acknowledge that it can be difficult to understand how to use emerging technology, especially as new AI tools continue to hit the market.
“I don't know about you, but learning new software tools is excruciating for me,” says Ensono's Bumba. “I'm tired.”
Watt added that it's simply human nature for people to be afraid of change.
“I don't think they're Luddites,” Hyland's leader says of employees who are hesitant to learn about AI. “I think it's just a fear of change.”
Going forward, the company says it plans to upgrade its AI upskilling program.
Rohner said Booz Allen is working on a module that teaches employees how to responsibly implement AI and how to manage technology-related programs. Bunba said Ensono is considering AI training courses for departments other than marketing. The same is true at Highland, where Watt said he is considering tailoring training content for employees outside of the IT team department.
“2024 will be a year of learning,” Watt said.