Data Literacy Academy’s Greg Freeman discusses the importance of AI literacy and the benefits of broad scale upskilling.
When it comes to AI, as a rule (though there are exceptions) most of us fall into one of four categories – AI sceptics, novices, explorers and power users. The sceptics don’t believe in the ‘transformative’ potential of AI, the novices think it has potential, if somewhat limited, the explorers while not experts use it more frequently and the power users are the prolific users of AI tech.
That is a roundabout way of saying that, whether you are wary of AI, have fully committed or live somewhere in the middle, AI is an undeniable element of modern working life. And for Greg Freeman, the founder and CEO of organisational training platform Data Literacy Academy, the companies that fail to address the evolution of AI are the ones at risk of falling behind.
“They don’t have a choice. The train has left the station,” he told SiliconRepublic.com. “Whether it’s GenAI [generative AI], intelligent automation or machine learning at scale, organisations that don’t figure out how to use AI well are going to lose ground fast.”
Scale Ireland, a non-profit organisation representing the Irish tech start-up and scaling sector, today (17 October) released a report exploring how the region needs to do more to address the growing issues of talent acquisition and retention, presently and as we look to the future.
What was discovered is that Ireland, like the majority of countries worldwide, needs to invest in upskilling its workforce in a broad array of skills, such as AI, machine learning, network, cybersecurity and technological literacy, if it is to meet the demands of a future-focused working world.
Freeman thinks that organisations aren’t investing enough resources into ensuring that the workforce is AI literate. “Most are still throwing money at shiny tools and hoping for the best. The ones that get it are treating AI literacy the same way they treated digital transformation 10 years ago.
“It’s a foundational shift, and the knowledge gap will only keep growing if not addressed. The truth is, if you’re spending millions on AI and not investing in your people’s understanding, use and risk of AI, then you’re gambling not transforming.”
Level playing field
By increasing AI literacy skills broadly among teams, employers can further democratise the workplace, ensuring greater accessibility and “unlocking ideas from people who’ve been overlooked by traditional data and tech strategies”, he said.
For Freeman, it is a sign of equity, as you teach everyone, from the top down, how to leverage AI and data as you respond to challenges and change. “You’ve cultivated resilience. By combining these efforts you raise the floor for everyone,” he said.
But, as the sceptics or indeed even the novices would say, technologies powered by AI, like any workplace process or tool, have to be taken with a grain of salt. No tool, regardless of how innovative it is, should ever be used as a replacement for a human brain or work ethic and it is important that when learning about the potentials of AI tech, we also explore its risks and limitations.
For example, the growing issue of an over-reliance on advanced technologies, anxieties surrounding the mass transformation of the workplace globally and a general fatigue around the introduction of yet another AI-driven project or product.
“There’s definitely a massive risk,” said Freeman, that is associated with too much being introduced too soon and too often. “We see it all the time, tech fatigue, change overload and digital initiatives that trip over each other. But we also know this comes down to lack of communication and context.
“The answer isn’t to slow down, it’s to do it better. You need a joined-up strategy, clarity on the individual and corporate ‘why’ and a learning approach that meets people where they are. Transformation done right is meant to feel empowering.”
As with most advancements that have transformed working life and organisational frameworks, Freeman is of the opinion that AI literacy is simply not a ‘nice to have’ anymore. Rather, it is the difference between a company that is playing with AI and one that is using it to drive real change.
“The best tech in the world won’t fix a culture that doesn’t understand or trust it. So, if you’re serious about transformation, start with your people.”
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