When making investments in artificial intelligence in the workplace, the relevance of employee AI training is often ignored. Employers who are worried about the rumored shortage of AI talent often look to the job market to stock up on talent, forgetting that it isn’t the only way to access the AI skill sets they require for operations. New research from The Conference Board reveals not only a gap in employer-provided training but also a disparity in the type of preparation offered to the workforce when training is provided.
Based on interviews with 35 enterprise leaders and a global survey of nearly 1,300 workers, the report found that while 55% of employees use genAI or work with AI agents daily or weekly, only 33.3% have used organization-provided AI training over the last six months. Not only that, 28.3% report that no AI training has been provided at all.
When the training does make its way to the workforce, the data shows that it typically focuses on AI literacy and establishing the basics of AI, but then misses out on collaborating with the worker to actually deliver advanced insights on what to do with the tech in real time and integrate it with the tasks and roles they perform day-to-day. This only serves to widen the gap in their capabilities, leaving them falling behind in the capitalization of said tools. If AI is set to redefine the future of work, it is critical to invest sufficient resources in preparing workers for this future.
Employee AI training is becoming a popular workplace investment, but organizations appear to be missing out on set preparations for the future of work. (Image: Pexels)
Skipping on Employee AI Training Could Be the Biggest Weakness in Your AI Strategy
Artificial intelligence may be resetting the goals and ambitions of your organization, but it is the employees who will determine how efficiently it achieves its purpose. AI integration is incomplete without the right talent to guide, supervise, and utilize its capabilities, and while we are seeing the technology advance by leaps and bounds, the training environment has been slow to catch up. A large number of workers who are currently using AI in their work do so on the basis of their own understanding and familiarity with the technology. Where AI upskilling is supported internally, it appears to end at the basics rather than involve a continuous process of learning and upgrading.
AI training efforts may be ramping up, but few organizations offer comprehensive training assistance on managing AI agents, integrating AI into workflows, or applying AI to strategic business challenges, which means that workers may successfully update their awareness of the technology, but not necessarily grasp just how much they can accomplish with it. Part of the fault lies with the employee AI training, and part of it with limited opportunities to develop these skills.
As The Conference Board finds, only 48% of workers agree that their organization offers them sufficient time to concentrate on skill development. Meanwhile, access to the necessary technology is limited as well. Only 47.6% agree they have sufficient tools, access, and resources to build AI capabilities. Maximizing AI capabilities goes beyond recognizing the tools, but ensuring that workers can apply their understanding to new tasks and processes, and expand on what can be achieved with it.
It’s Time to Generate a Whole New Approach to AI Training
As seen with the AI integration across apps and services and the resulting pushback from consumers, merely adopting the technology to existing systems isn’t enough. To maximize the benefits of technology, it is essential to build around it, just as we require a comprehensive approach to workforce AI training and upskilling. The report notes that organizations are increasingly combining formal learning, social learning, and experiential learning to build AI capabilities, with workers reporting more successful integration when they are exposed to the tech training across multiple formats.
Employee AI training is as much about diversifying the training and application modules as it is about perfecting the basics, and this cannot be achieved by leaving employees to finish off their education by themselves. As much as the workforce would appreciate being able to keep up with the technology independently, much of their work within the organization will depend on how much the business has done to help them build the skills they will need for the future evolution of their roles.
It doesn’t hurt that employee trust in the tech can also go up when they work for an organization that is willing to help them with the adaptation and invest in their interests and capabilities alongside AI.
A Successful AI-Powered Operation Is Only Possible When the Organization Plans Long-Term
Workplace upskilling and reskilling isn’t just about providing training, but ensuring that the training can be actively utilized within operations, and that it continues beyond a one-time investment. It’s true that it is increasingly difficult to keep up with the evolution of technology, what with its rapid pace of development and rising costs. Despite this, organizations don’t have to fall behind in how they support their workforce. Employers who are keen on capitalizing on the tech must also think ahead to determine the milestones that lie ahead in terms of implementation, and generate the necessary training plans and operational changes that will be essential in an employee’s journey.
Building AI skills and narrowing the gap will look different from organization to organization, but almost all strategies should come with a clear understanding of just how it will benefit the employee and organization, and what an alignment with business strategy will look like for the organization in particular.
“The organizations that navigate AI successfully will be the ones that treat workforce transformation as a leadership priority,” Diana Scott, US Human Capital Center Leader at The Conference Board, said in a press release. “CHROs have an opportunity to bring together business leaders, technology teams, and learning functions around a shared strategy for developing the capabilities the organization will need next.”
Rather than waiting for the industry to unveil the next big trend or advancement in tech, employers can benefit from kickstarting their own internal missions and plans for AI, and just how it will help their employees keep pace with progress. For an AI-powered future, both employers and employees should be aligned on expectations and on how these goals will be met together.
How are you approaching employee AI training? Share your strategy in the comments with us. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.
