Artificial intelligence (AI) has redefined the way we work. No matter the industry, AI-powered tools have emerged to help us streamline administrative tasks, get answers to our most pressing questions, and upskill our teams faster than ever.
But even for Gen Z—the first generation of “digital natives” to enter the workforce—using AI responsibly and effectively requires honing a brand new set of skills. AI users must also be eagle-eyed fact-checkers and content editors, especially when it comes to using open-source tools like ChatGPT.
In the go-to-market (GTM) world, AI introduces a number of benefits that help customer-facing professionals deliver stellar experiences. Seismic’s Generation Enablement Report revealed that 65% of sales, marketing, enablement, and customer success professionals currently use AI-powered tools in their enablement processes.
However, with an overwhelming majority (96%) agreeing they need to learn new skills to keep up with AI advancements, GTM leaders have an obligation to promote AI literacy and best practices among their entire employee base.
WHAT’S HOLDING TEAMS BACK FROM AI ADOPTION?
More than half (51%) of respondents to Seismic’s survey shared that they encountered barriers during the AI adoption process. When asked what specific obstacles they faced, respondents listed a lack of clarity on starting points (38%) and a lack of buy-in from leadership (31%) as major challenges.
But it’s not just executive buy-in holding teams back; nearly three out of four GTM professionals (72%) said they’ve seen significant skepticism in their industry about AI. There’s also a perceived generational divide around AI acceptance, especially between younger generations and baby boomers: While many stated that boomers at their organization are either not accepting of AI (58%) or downright fearful of the technology (48%), a much smaller cohort agreed that boomers are open and willing to improve their AI literacy (11%).
This illustrates an urgent need for GTM leaders to get employees of all ages both excited about AI and well-equipped to use it to their advantage.
PROMOTING AI LITERACY THROUGH ENABLEMENT
Despite these barriers to success, many see a light at the end of the tunnel: 88% of GTM professionals said they’re “optimistic AI acceptance will increase across all generations in the next five years.” AI-specific enablement and upskilling will be key to making this happen, and many organizations are already on board. Three out of four stated their companies have introduced AI-focused training programs for their employees, and 83% said they’re prioritizing AI literacy on their team.
To achieve this, organizations are adopting new technology (77%) and/or updating or enhancing their training programs (67%). And many are working to close the generational divide, with organizations either already offering (65%) or planning to offer (76%) custom AI training programs for different generational learning preferences.
Enablement should never be considered a one-size-fits-all process. Everybody retains information differently, which means certain tactics will work differently depending on who’s receiving the training. GTM leaders therefore need a blended approach that gives trainees the ability to learn at their own speed, following personalized learning paths based on their individual skills, roles, and performance.
TACTICS FOR SUCCESS
Digital upskilling and AI literacy in particular are a must for employees of all ages as GTM teams look to scale their efforts. But according to HubSpot, most sellers forget 84% of what they learn 90 days after traditional enablement has wrapped. This makes effective education for existing and new employees (and utilizing follow-up lessons and content to improve knowledge retention) mission-critical for long-term success. Here are some approaches to consider:
1. Blended learning
This training method combines self-paced e-learning with instructor-led training and includes activities like practice opportunities, role-playing, and offline tasks. Older employees who might respond better to an in-person lecture than an online module can access both with blended learning, receiving traditional classroom instruction accompanied by online resources to reinforce what they’ve learned. Blended learning also allows lengthier sessions to be distilled into bite-sized lessons to cater to shorter attention spans (I’m looking at you, Gen Z!).
2. Mentorship and peer-to-peer learning
When employees are able to interact with their peers and develop skills collaboratively, it can help increase engagement and expose them to diverse perspectives. The informal exchange of information between peers can also resonate better than a rigid training session.
If a salesperson has a particularly effective meeting presentation or elevator pitch, for example, the right tools will make it easy to share that example with other sellers. This helps individual reps improve and sales managers scale successes. Pairing employees up with one another or creating mentorship opportunities creates an environment where trainees can ask questions they might not be comfortable raising in a more public setting, helping teams build morale and foster relationships with coworkers and superiors.
BE A ROLE MODEL FOR AI ADOPTION
In addition to delivering personalized onboarding that considers employees’ strengths, weaknesses, knowledge gaps, and learning styles, GTM leaders should establish themselves as role models for AI adoption. Nine out of ten respondents to the Generation Enablement report agreed that they’re prioritizing their own AI literacy to motivate others on their team to embrace the technology.
Start thinking about how you can demonstrate the value of AI for your team on a daily basis. Are there successes you’ve seen that they might be able to replicate? Did your AI tool of choice surface a particularly helpful piece of content? GTM leaders have the power to cultivate a positive outlook on AI for their teams. Promoting AI literacy among employees of all ages starts with building excitement around how AI stands to change their lives for the better.