How to Build AI Literacy: Essential Tips for Every Organisation

For years, AI was like a silent engine running in the background. Most of us were unaware—unconsciously incompetent, you might say. We knew AI existed, but we didn’t fully grasp its potential or what it could actually do. Then, almost overnight, ChatGPT launched, and AI burst into the mainstream. Suddenly, it was everywhere, and we quickly moved from knowing little to realising just how much we didn’t understand. Let’s be honest—who had even heard of LLMs five years ago?

It’s unsettling. As we progress in our careers, we often feel less confident because the more we learn, the more we realise how much we don’t know. Those "unknown unknowns" become "known unknowns," and this gap is driving much of the anxiety surrounding AI. People are jumping on the bandwagon, trying to keep up, but quietly asking themselves, "What does this mean for me?"

Right now, everyone’s talking about AI, and most assume everyone else is already using it. But the reality is, many are still figuring it out—and that’s perfectly fine.

With investment in AI at an all-time high, you might be wondering what your AI strategy should be. Leaders are being asked by their boards, "What’s our plan for AI?" when there isn’t even a clear understanding of what AI means for their organisation.

Here’s the first step to closing the AI literacy gap: admit what you don’t know. It’s okay to say, "I’m still learning." You don’t need to be an AI expert. Just like you don’t need to know how a lightbulb works, you only need to know what it does, how to use it, and how to plug it in. AI is no different. Start with the basics—learn the fundamentals, explore use cases relevant to your business, and build from there. Get comfortable with what AI can do for you now, and bring in experts to help you see the bigger picture.

And don’t be intimidated by the so-called "experts" or the new wave of AI consultants. Even they are still learning. AI is evolving every day, and while they may know more, they don’t know everything. We’re all on this journey together.

How to Build AI Literacy in Your Organisation

Building AI literacy is essential for staying competitive. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. AI literacy must be tailored to your organisation's specific goals and level of maturity. Whether you’re a business leader, an employee, or part of a tech team, understanding AI at the right level can drive significant value.

AI for Business Leaders: Building a Strong Foundation

For business leaders, having a basic understanding of AI fundamentals is crucial. This includes knowing what AI is, its different AI strands, and how it can support strategic decision-making. Without this knowledge, you risk missing key opportunities and falling behind competitors.

Key focus areas for business leaders:

• AI fundamentals: Learn the core concepts, from machine learning to generative AI, and how these technologies drive business outcomes.
• Strategic alignment: Understand how AI integrates with your business strategy to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency.
• Avoiding blind spots: Without AI literacy, business leaders may not fully grasp the risks and opportunities, hindering their ability to unlock AI’s full potential.

AI for Employees: Empowering Teams to Use Tools Effectively

AI literacy isn’t just for leadership—it’s crucial for employees. Tools like Microsoft Co-Pilot, ChatGPT, and other AI-powered workplace tools are becoming essential for boosting efficiency. To truly maximise their value, employees need practical training.

Key focus areas for teams:

• Effective prompting: Learn how to interact with AI tools like ChatGPT and LLMs to get the best outcomes.
• Data protection: Understand the importance of privacy and data protection when using AI tools in the workplace, especially with sensitive information.
• Real-world applications: Training should be directly linked to practical use cases, helping employees apply AI tools to streamline daily tasks and improve productivity.

AI for Technology Teams: Building In-House Capability

Even if your organisation partners with external AI providers, your technology teams should understand AI to better manage these relationships and, eventually, build internal AI capability.

Key focus areas for tech teams:

• AI tech stack: Gain knowledge about Generative AI, large language models (LLMs), and machine learning, and how they integrate into your organisation’s infrastructure.
• Capability development: While external vendors might be used now, developing AI expertise in-house can give your organisation a strategic advantage in the future.

Tailoring to Your Organisation’s Needs

There are many AI training programmes available, but not all are suited to your specific needs. It’s important to choose training that matches your organisation’s current level of AI maturity.

How to tailor AI literacy:

• Customised learning: Ensure the training is designed for your organisation’s stage of AI adoption. Avoid generic programmes that don’t address your business needs.
• Focus on deliverables: Training should result in tangible outcomes such as AI use case lists or an AI strategy that can be applied immediately.
• Commit to continuous learning: AI is evolving, and so should your understanding. AI literacy must be an ongoing part of your organisation’s learning culture.

Conclusion

Building AI literacy is crucial to unlocking the full potential of AI in your organisation. By ensuring that business leaders, employees, and tech teams have tailored, practical AI training, you can drive growth, efficiency, and innovation. Make AI learning a continuous journey, not just a one-off event, and see how it transforms your organisation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is AI literacy?
AI literacy refers to the knowledge and understanding of artificial intelligence concepts, tools, and applications. It involves knowing how AI works, how to use AI tools responsibly, and how to integrate AI into business processes for better outcomes.

2. Why is AI literacy important for organisations?
AI literacy is essential for staying competitive in today’s digital world. It helps business leaders make informed decisions, equips employees with practical AI skills, and enables technology teams to manage AI implementations effectively.

3. How can AI literacy benefit my organisation?
AI literacy enables organisations to leverage AI tools like Microsoft Co-Pilot and ChatGPT to improve productivity, streamline workflows, and make data-driven decisions. It also helps in developing long-term AI strategies aligned with your business goals.

4. What are some key areas of focus when building AI literacy?
Key areas include understanding AI fundamentals, using workplace productivity tools like ChatGPT, ensuring data protection, and training technology teams on more advanced concepts like Generative AI and machine learning.

5. How should AI literacy training be tailored?
AI literacy training should be customised based on your organisation's AI maturity level. It’s important to focus on practical outcomes, like creating AI use cases, and to ensure that training is an ongoing process rather than a one-time event.

6. Can AI literacy be developed in-house, or do we need external help?
You can develop AI literacy internally with the right training and resources. However, partnering with external AI experts or training providers can be valuable, especially in the early stages of AI adoption, to ensure you are using the most effective strategies.