Why You Need to Build AI Literacy Now (and How to Do It)

By Gartner Research

Mike’s AI assisted summary: this very worthwhile and concise read by Gartner gives you a “road map” to align your organizational culture with effective AI literacy & implementation. Thank you to Udemy for introducing me to Gartner for educating me about AI. The full article is found as a download at the end of this summary of the Gartner research.

The article by Graham Waller and Pieter den Hamer of Gartner emphasizes the critical importance of building AI literacy in organizations to maximize the potential of AI investments. It asserts that AI success depends not only on technical expertise but also on a broader understanding of AI's business, societal, and ethical implications. AI literacy equips employees to use the technology effectively and responsibly, aligning its application with organizational goals. Key benefits of AI literacy include enabling strategic alignment, creating value, and democratizing AI use while fostering realistic expectations and responsible practices. Additionally, AI literacy helps organizations scale AI initiatives and extract greater value from data and analytics. The authors argue that organizations must proactively develop AI literacy to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving technological landscape. To implement an AI literacy program, your leaders should:

1. Unite Stakeholders with a Learning-to-Earning Value Proposition: Leaders must articulate the tangible business outcomes of AI literacy to engage stakeholders. This involves connecting learning activities to measurable results, such as improving marketing campaigns or enhancing operational efficiency. The narrative should be tailored to each department's specific needs and goals.

2. Identify Skills Gaps Through Cross-Functional Collaboration: AI literacy needs vary across roles, from foundational knowledge to advanced engineering and governance skills. A cross-functional team should assess current and desired skill levels, ensuring the program addresses unique requirements for each group. Continuous collaboration between business units and HR is vital to customizing training and keeping it relevant.

3. Adopt Agile Learning Practices: AI literacy programs must be dynamic, scalable, and outcome-driven. Agile learning principles—such as microlearning, social learning, and on-the-job experiential learning—enable employees to quickly apply newly acquired skills to real-world AI use cases. For instance, AI chatbot training can teach prompt engineering through interactive, real-time learning. The article highlights the AI literacy program at MinterEllison, an Australian law firm, as a successful example of integrating AI training into existing talent development initiatives. By partnering with HR, the firm's digital team developed an internal skills-building program, reducing the need for external hires and fostering long-term AI adoption. To ensure success, organizations should prioritize continuous learning that aligns with business outcomes rather than treating AI literacy as an optional academic exercise. Programs should evolve alongside technological advancements, offering learning pathways for employees at all levels of proficiency. The result is an AI-first culture that empowers organizations to move beyond experimentation and fully capitalize on AI's transformative potential. In conclusion, building AI literacy is essential for organizations to stay competitive, align AI with strategic goals, and mitigate risks. By uniting stakeholders, addressing skill gaps, and adopting agile learning practices, organizations can create a sustainable AI literacy program that drives measurable business outcomes. Download the full 7 page article here.

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We at ELAvate can assist your sales organization in setting up a “Sales Gym” to accelerate your salespeople’s skill and knowledge acquisition to increase B2B sales revenue success and get a much better return on your sales training and coaching investments. Contact me for a no obligation exploratory chat!

Michael J Griffin
CEO and Founder of ELAvate
Sales Productivity Consultant
Maxwell Leadership Coach
michael.griffin@elavateglobal.com
+65-91194008