Tools without understanding is just expensive confusion

65% of organisations now regularly use AI and yet 68% of employees say they don’t feel adequately trained to use AI tools effectively. Let’s face it, we’ve sat in a meeting at the start of a new quarter or term and the leadership says “We’ve just subscribed to x new tool”. Then they proceed to tell you all the amazing things it does and how it’ll make our lives easier. For you to only walk out of the meeting unsure how to use the tool or when you’re expected to find time to learn through play. And 'learning through play' only works if you have the time, the inclination, and no fear of getting it wrong, which most people don't.

The whole process then just begins to feel like a tick-box exercise. Proof that they have fulfilled x duty by purchasing tools. Those tools, without understanding, are just expensive confusion. Put this into an AI context, organisations are measuring success by tool adoption, not human comprehension. That’s the wrong metric. 

This creates significant risks, such as:

• Client data exposure via Shadow AI

• Undisclosed AI-assisted client advice

• Inconsistent ethical decision-making

• Hallucinated output reaches a client

The good news? These risks aren't inevitable. They're the result of skipping a step, and that step is education.

Helping organisations close that gap, between tool adoption and genuine understanding, is exactly what I do. If your team is ticking boxes but not building confidence, let's talk.

#AILiteracy #FutureOfWork #Leadership #AIAdoption #DigitalTransformation #LearningAndDevelopment

1 - (McKinsey, 2024, up from 33% the year before) 

2 - (Salesforce State of IT Report, 2024)