The year is 2025: decisions are made with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel, powered by algorithms that sift through mountains of data in a moment’s time.
After a seismic shift in artificial intelligence rocked the business world in 2023 with the release of free and accessible generative AI platforms, the chasm between those equipped to lead — and those left behind — widens. Whether AI is an innovation or a disruption for your business depends upon your policies, training programs, and talent acquisition strategies.
Like it or not, AI is reshaping work — boosting productivity, profitability, and competitive edge. No industry or business is immune to the relentless drumbeat of technology. Gone are the days of simply hiring a handful of IT experts. Now, it’s about elevating every employee to harness the benefits and power of this transformative tech.
While it may sound like a tall order, there’s no time like the present to align your leadership team, starting with AI fluency training, skill development, and strategic planning to embrace an AI-driven business model.
With General Assembly’s AI for Leaders Workshop, there’s a clear path forward.
Mastering AI for Strategic Leadership
Now that an AI-driven economy’s already here, staying ahead demands a new set of skills.
Corporate executives require a different type of AI skill set than, say, general employees, software engineers, or data consultants. To meet this need, GA developed an AI training workshop especially for the C-suite that focuses on:
- Generative AI for CEOs: Harnessing tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and IBM Watson to generate ideas, analyze data, and save time.
- Understanding AI Fundamentals: Clarifying the capabilities and limitations of machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks within your organization.
- AI Decision Making: Developing data literacy and culture to identify opportunities, analyze information, and derive meaningful insights.
- Ethical AI for Leaders: Navigating bias in algorithms, ensuring data privacy, and considering the impact of AI-driven decisions on employees and society at large.
- AI Business Operations: Strategically leveraging AI to create value, enhance processes/products/services, and drive innovation.
- Change Management: Effectively communicating AI benefits and addressing resistance to change to develop a more adaptive and future-minded organization.
Every executive, manager, and board member in your C-Suite will need a firm grasp on AI’s profound impact on customers, employees, investors, operations, products, and services. With knowledge comes the confidence to move the needle on organizational progress.
AI Ethics and Legal Considerations for Decision-Makers
This year, 86% of surveyed C-level executives say they’ve implemented — or at least have plans to implement — AI ethics policies at their organizations. Leaders agree establishing clear guidelines and training for employees will serve as the foundation for growing revenue, brand reputation, and marketplace trust with these technologies.
Additionally, ethical considerations are paramount. “Organizations certainly play a critical role in the responsible adoption and implementation of AI,” explains Kwasi Mitchell, chief purpose and DEI officer at Deloitte US. “And I’m encouraged by the inputs we’re seeing from C-level leaders to prioritize ethical awareness, training, and use so we can collectively produce better outcomes for our businesses and people as a result.”
Beyond employee well-being, leaders will also be expected to uphold ethical standards that benefit customers and society at large. In other words, don’t wait for a crisis to happen. Stay ahead of emerging AI liabilities by complying with laws like GDPR or CCPA that mandate careful handling of personal data in AI systems. Stay attuned to upcoming litigation and legislation, which may focus on algorithmic biases, intellectual property rights, and transparency in AI usage.
Enhancing Business Operations with AI Insights
By their very nature, business operations are averse to the sweeping winds of change. We put policies and processes in place to hold the wheel steady in the storm. And yet, if you’re on a collision course, you need to be able to turn the wheel at that critical do-or-die moment.
That moment is here and now — and so much is in the works:
- Adoption: 92% of employers predict they’ll be using AI solutions by 2028. Beyond IT departments, they plan to add AI to sales, marketing, and HR. In fact, 45% of enterprises are actively training and upskilling their workforces, acquiring organizations with AI capabilities, or hiring for AI skills (Amazon).
- Efficiency: AI will automate employee tasks, improve workflows and outcomes, enhance communications, and help employees pick up new skills (Amazon).
- Productivity: 40% of executives predict AI will deliver productivity gains surpassing 30% (Mercer).
- Employee Loyalty: 80% of workers say they’d be interested in developing AI skills to advance their careers, including individuals across all generations (Amazon).
- Profitability: Companies with leading AI capabilities achieve two to six times the returns of AI laggards, regardless of sector (McKinsey).
- Survival: In 2019, 75% of CEOs surveyed believed they were at risk of going out of business by 2025 unless they aggressively deployed AI across their organizations (Accenture).
Presently, the majority of businesses remain unprepared for AI adoption. Despite 73% of employers prioritizing talent with in-demand AI skills and experience, nearly three in four struggle to find suitable candidates. If you’re an executive leader, this gap represents a significant opportunity for you to secure a competitive advantage — and stay ahead of the curve.
Building AI Fluency: AI for Leaders Workshop Overview
Ready to arm your executive team with foundational knowledge on the latest AI trends, including practical guidance for applying generative AI tools across teams?
Here’s what you can expect from GA’s two-hour AI for Leaders Workshop:
- See frameworks, case studies, and examples of AI and Generative AI in action.
- Gain the skills to confidently determine where and how AI can support your organization.
- Work with prompt engineering, data analysis, and workflow automation experts.
- Build AI fluency to communicate value and incorporate it into your organization.
- Understand the power of AI, its strengths and limitations, and ethical considerations.
In addition to this AI workshop for leaders, GA has similar programs geared toward business consultants, everyday users of generative AI, and software engineers you can deploy to bring your whole organization up to speed.
What Every CEO Should Know About AI
Boosting productivity with AI is a no-brainer, but the tech is not a solo act. Rewriting the rulebook means using AI to power innovative human-machine teams for unmatched productivity and agility.
And with talent adaptability a top concern for 74% of executives and only 28% feeling confident in human-machine collaboration, the pressure’s on.
But here’s the secret: Navigating the future of work isn’t just about finding a path — it’s about creating one. Just as high-growth players have cracked the code, you, too, can prioritize leadership AI skill development and embrace innovative employee AI training strategies.
Ready to lead the charge? Visit our AI Solutions page to learn more and sign up.