Generative AI has placed emerging technology into the hands of more employees than ever. How can business leaders reap the benefits – and manage the risks?
Appetite for AI in business is high, and 98% of leaders believe the benefits have met or exceeded their expectations. But understanding of AI – and the skills to use it – remains inconsistent in the workforce.
Generative AI throws another curveball into the mix. Employees are already actively experimenting with ChatGPT, without necessarily understanding best practice.
In this complex picture, what’s the best way to equip employees with AI knowledge that will deliver value for the business – and manage the risks?
At our recent panel, Bridging the AI gap: From classic challenges to generative opportunities, leaders looked to answer just that.
David Reed(opens new window), Chief Knowledge Officer at DataIQ, chaired the session featuring PA Consulting’s Global Head of AI, Alwin Magimay(opens new window), Capita’s Director of Operational Excellence, Edward Boyns(opens new window) and Multiverse’s Head of AI, Anna Wang(opens new window).
Build AI skills in the business with formal learning pathways
AI tools are becoming more commonplace in every organisation. 81% of tech leaders plan to increase AI investment in the next three years and beyond.
But people will be crucial for AI to deliver on its promise – and to date, the majority of workers (51%) have received fewer than five hours’ training on AI.
For both Capita and PA Consulting, building capabilities in the workforce by training existing employees is crucial. As Ed explained, AI is a central part of the business transformation strategy underway at Capita.
“We need to educate our own people on how to use AI and extract value from it, because we need to practise what we preach to sell it to our clients in a compelling way,” Ed explained.
“We now have a cohort of 95 apprentices, working on a Multiverse programme. It’s about teaching our organisation how to get the most value from AI, for us and our clients.”
Find out how Capita launched a new AI training Academy in partnership with Multiverse, delivering AI apprenticeships for more than 100 colleagues
Upskilling is part of an equitable value exchange with employees for PA Consulting, according to Alwin. “We aim to give as much as we receive to our staff. We keep things interesting with a 70:20:10 ratio of time spent on consulting, research and personal development respectively, including learning AI skills.”
With an AI-enabled workforce, businesses can realise the value of their investments – and support employee satisfaction and retention.
Nine in 10 employees are keen to improve their data skills, and 83% say AI skills will help them to drive more value for their employer in the next 12 months.
Teach employees when to use AI for the best ROI
Generative AI has introduced a new dynamic for businesses – by significantly lowering the AI barrier to entry.
“The biggest innovation of ChatGPT is that it put this technology into the hands of everyone,” Anna explained. “Any person can now tell a computer what to do and what not to do. That breakthrough really levels the playing field.”
There are parallels with past technologies. In the 1900s, you had to be a mechanic to drive a car, Alwin highlighted. Now, you can just focus on the driving – you don’t need to understand what’s under the bonnet.
In the same way, employees at all AI skill levels have direct access to the tools and are keen to use them. Most workers have gained their AI skills by playing with ChatGPT (61%) or learning on the job (59%).
But context is everything. According to David, “It’s not just understanding how to use the tools and technology. It’s also when it’s appropriate and when it isn’t.”
Alwin explained, “The tasks we do at work tend to fit into four quadrants: bespoke, curator, repeatable, predictable. AI is best applied to tasks that are repeatable and predictable – the low-hanging fruit.”
To leverage AI to its full potential, workers need to understand this cost/benefit analysis – to see where the technology will add value, and where it won’t.
As Ed noted, “Be really clear on what your costs are from an AI perspective. Don't start with AI being a solution that you really like, and you're going to try and find a problem to fix with it.”
Managing AI risks: key questions to ask
Many businesses lack clear guardrails over how AI is used. Only 28% of leaders are confident they have established best practice in providing governance structures to limit AI risk.
“The main challenge of using generative AI is data custody,” explained Anna. “The data input shouldn’t be confidential. Consider the malicious applications of the data, the potential for impersonation and vulnerability to cyber-attacks. There are a lot of risks.”
Ensuring a system is fair, transparent, responsible and accurate depends on knowing the questions to consider.
“For each application, you have to explain what AI tools are involved and how you’re going to use it,” explained Ed. “Are you going to store the data? Are you going to let the data be used to teach the model?”
Employees need to understand the impact of how AI is used, but many lack foundational data skills. 57% have no or basic Excel skills – and as David noted, this means businesses may be “trying to run with AI before they can walk.”
Nine in 10 employees want to improve their data skills – and this could unlock greater productivity, as well as increasing their understanding of the implications of different AI uses.
Ensure AI upskilling is consequential, with a clear business ROI
AI projects must deliver meaningful and measurable results for businesses. Likewise, upskilling programmes have to be tailored to benefit the organisation, and not only the individual.
As Anna explained, “The vision of Multiverse is to make learning more scalable, personal and consequential for every business.”
Ed has worked closely with the AI apprentices at Capita, helping to shape the project proposals they are developing in the programme. “We can make sure that they will drive value, and they are looking at problems that are significant to the organisation, that are scalable, and can drive value for Capita.”
AI is in turn helping to reimagine the learning process at Multiverse. Atlas, an always-on copilot, has also been supporting learners on Multiverse apprenticeships since early 2024.
With personalised learning pathways, upskilling can deliver for both individual students and the business as a whole.
Read more examples of AI upskilling in practice
Our panel was clear that AI holds great promise for businesses. But people need the skills and understanding to use the technology to its full potential, and proactively mitigate risk.
Training programmes that are directly tied to business benefits will not only support individuals, but deliver better outcomes for the whole business– as Capita and PA Consulting show.
To learn how upskilling can deliver meaningful business results for you, watch the full panel and explore our AI courses for business.
