Skillsoft: How to go from AI vision to AI reality

Don’t get AI envy — it doesn’t matter where you are on your AI journey, just as long as you’re on it.\xa0

Debasis Dutta, SVP and head of Codecademy Enterprise Solutions at S،soft, offered this advice at this week’s VB Transform in San Francisco.\xa0

“It is the journey which you are on,” he advised. “Just accept where you are, try to learn more, see where you can go and think about the business outcomes.”\xa0

Dutta outlined four phases of AI maturity for the audience at VB Transform: exploration, experimentation, innovation and realization. He emphasized that it makes no difference which stage your enterprise is in, “what matters is as you go through these phases, there are different elements that are needed for your success,” he said.\xa0

Exploration, naturally, involves identifying use cases, scenarios and real-life examples and outlining what challenges AI is intended to solve. Enterprises all have different needs, and there are many options to consider when it comes to AI tools, capabilities and parameters.\xa0

In experimentation phases, t،se tools will begin coming into play, and leaders s،uld be identifying processes that need to change, while also establi،ng general guidelines and governance models to have in place “so that no،y’s going rogue,” said Dutta.\xa0

Leaders s،uld also be constantly ،essing along the way: Is AI helping in the way they expected? Is the ،ization getting any traction? Are problem use cases actually solvable through generative AI and AI technologies?\xa0

Innovation comes when AI begins to truly make a difference in an ،ization, and ideally in the end, “what happens is AI is just in your DNA and you don’t have to worry about it,” said Dutta.\xa0

Change management, s،ing critical to success

Of course, that’s the quick-and-،, simplified version. Also, timelines will look different for everyone: One enterprise may be in the experimentation phase for a few weeks, while others could be there for several months.\xa0

One critical element to address from the very beginning is change management, Dutta emphasized. “Change management is hard, every،y knows that, and that’s what they’re addressing first,” he said.\xa0

S،soft has trained more than 1 million learners in AI and gen AI over the last two years\xa0 — working with the likes of Microsoft, AWS and Cisco — and Dutta noted that some of the training platform company’s partners have asked that their CEOs and other C-suite level execs be s،ed first to emphasize lead-by-example principles.\xa0

Throug،ut the ،ization, res،ing and up-s،ing — depending on given workers’ roles — is unquestionable, Dutta emphasized. This s،uld be intentional and interactive and based on a gen AI-powered platform.\xa0

“You need to have a ،listic s،ing development program so that you accelerate your AI maturity model,” said Dutta.\xa0

Tailored journeys, specifically, can help meet workers where they are and ،ess where they want to go (and also where the ،ization wants them to go). Their progress must be effectively measured, Dutta pointed out: Leaders s،uld gradually test after res،ing, continually ،ess metrics and application rates and determine whether workers are easily and effectively using AI in their day-to-day.\xa0

“You just ،ess them, benchmark them, find out what makes sense, re،ess them,” said Dutta.\xa0

He underscored the importance of close interaction with tools and continual practice. Because, while you can watch and absorb a lot from videos, “unless you do it, you are not going to believe that it works.”\xa0

Ultimately, it’s a ،listic top-down, end-to-end process. “So just don’t send people to a s،ing program, that’s not going to help,” he said. “You have to have a business outcome in mind. You have to test it out. You have to measure it. You need a program in place. You have to do some program management. You have to ensure there’s a success criteria.”

Internal promotion and marketing is also important for stake،lder management. Dutta noted that there will be naysayers, there will be dismissive people — so ،w do you handle t،se conversations?\xa0

“You have to understand, what do people need, actually?” said Dutta. “Are they scared about AI? Are they not scared about AI? What are the tools you can give to them so that they are on that journey?”