The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in business is showing up in quarterly shareholder reports. But introducing technology into an organization doesn’t work miracles overnight.
According to a recent Pluralsight survey of 1,200 IT executives and professionals, the big challenge with AI is that many business and IT leaders aren’t sure their organizations are ready to handle it. productive way.
While 81% of IT professionals are convinced they can integrate AI into their roles, only 12% of them have significant experience with this technology. To further complicate matters, 90% of executives don’t fully understand their team’s AI skills. “Even as organizations accelerate the adoption of AI, the majority do not understand the AI skills of their employees, and do not have a strategy to develop them,” emphasize the authors of the study.
How AI is infused at Johnson & Johnson
“To get the most out of AI, businesses need to assess AI skills across their organization and create a skills development plan,” the report continues.
Importantly, the survey shows that the lack of AI skills hinders long-term success. Nearly all IT executives and professionals (94%) believe that AI initiatives will fail if staff are unable to use AI tools effectively. Yet only 40% of organizations have formal, structured AI training and education.
But some organizations are taking steps to meet the challenge of preparing their workforce for AI. “We hire learners,” says Jim Swanson, chief information officer at Johnson & Johnson (J&J).
How to train for AI in business?
“Every member of our organization has a goal for how they will evolve and develop their skills in 2024. Our global AI-powered learning platform, J&J Learn, offers courses such as a digital immersion program of six weeks to build capabilities in product management, design thinking and artificial intelligence.”
This includes software development, cloud engineering, data management and network operations. However, AI isn’t just important for tech professionals.
“Leaders should equip their employees with skills like how to responsibly apply generative AI to improve productivity, how to leverage automation to accelerate operations, or how to simulate the steps of a supply chain with digital twins or augmented reality,” he explains.
The Pluralsight survey authors make the following recommendations for leaders who want to build a well-trained technical and business workforce:
Consider upskilling rather than outsourcing AI capabilities
“80% of executives and 72% of IT pros say their organization often invests in new technologies without considering the training employees need to use them,” suggests the Pluralsight survey. “Finding AI experts in the market is a gamble. Organizations that develop AI talent from their existing workforce will build the skills they need while providing valuable professional development opportunities for their teams .”
Develop an AI training strategy before implementing AI applications
“Organizations that want to take advantage of emerging technologies don’t always have time to train their employees first. But if they can implement an upskilling strategy before deploying AI technology, their teams can get started to generate value quickly.”
Assess current AI capabilities
“Organizations need visibility into their teams’ AI capabilities. Once they understand their strengths and weaknesses, they can develop an upskilling program that fills the gaps and equips them with the skills they need. need to use AI tools effectively.”
Source: “ZDNet.com”