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Leveraging Gen AI Pioneers to Transform Your Company’s L&D

Leveraging Gen AI Pioneers to Transform Your Company’s L&D

Last updated on: June 17, 2025 at 2:15 pm by Gleb Tsipursky

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Leveraging Gen AI Pioneers to Transform Your Company’s L&D 2025-06-17T14:15:45-04:00 Gleb Tsipursky

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Gen AI Pioneers

The transformative potential of Gen AI in Learning and Development (L&D) is a topic of growing interest among business leaders. And if you think your workers aren’t using Gen AI, you might be seriously off-base.

According to a global study of 14,000 workers in late 2023 by Salesforce, already by that time 28% of workers used Gen AI at work, with more than half without having received formal approval. A 2023 McKinsey report had similar findings. No doubt, by now the numbers are far higher.

Instead of focusing on a centralized command and control approach, recognizing and leveraging these early adopters can provide a strategic advantage, helping to integrate Gen AI effectively into your company’s L&D programs to boost both effectiveness and efficiency. Indeed, a recent study from Harvard Business School researchers partnering with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) provides robust evidence of AI’s transformative potential, showing that consultants with access to Gen AI completed tasks 22% faster and 40% better than those who did not. So how do you get similar benefits?

Uncovering the Hidden Gen AI Pioneers

Conduct an internal survey to identify who uses Gen AI and how they use it. Ask questions focusing on the types of tools employees use, the frequency of use, and specific applications within their work. For instance, do they use AI for data analysis, content generation, or automating routine tasks? These details help map the current landscape of Gen AI usage within your organization.

Reassure employees that it’s acceptable to use Gen AI in their work, even without a formal policy. Clearly communicate that your goal is to learn from their experiences, not to penalize them. Incentivize participation by offering rewards such as recognition, bonuses, or professional development opportunities. This approach alleviates fears and encourages honest and comprehensive responses.

Identify individuals who use Gen AI effectively and creatively once you analyze the survey results. These informal leaders possess valuable insights into the practical applications of Gen AI and can offer firsthand knowledge about the challenges and benefits of these tools.

Developing Best Practices from Gen AI Pioneers

Harness the expertise of your Gen AI pioneers to develop best practices tailored to your organizational context. Create a collaborative environment where these early adopters share their experiences and insights.

Form a task force comprising your identified pioneers, L&D professionals, and IT specialists. This group develops guidelines and best practices for using Gen AI in the company. Hold regular meetings and workshops to facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration.

Pilot these best practices within a small, controlled group before rolling out Gen AI tools company-wide. Use this phase to gather feedback, refine the guidelines, and address any unforeseen challenges. Pilots allow for adjustments and ensure that the final practices are robust and practical.

Document the refined best practices clearly and accessibly. Create comprehensive guides, FAQs, and video tutorials that employees can easily access. Leverage your company’s intranet or an L&D platform to distribute these resources effectively.

Integrating Gen AI Pioneers into Organizational Learning

Embed Gen AI knowledge into your organization’s learning and development programs to ensure all employees benefit from the pioneers’ expertise and align the use of Gen AI with your company’s strategic goals.

First, incorporate Gen AI modules into existing training programs. Cover the basics of Gen AI, its applications, and the specific best practices developed by your task force. Offer both online courses and in-person workshops to cater to different learning preferences.

More broadly, establish a culture that encourages ongoing education and skill development to keep up with the rapid pace of AI development. Regularly update training materials to reflect the latest advancements in Gen AI and provide opportunities for employees to attend conferences, webinars, and other learning events.

As part of doing so, promote a culture of peer learning where employees share their Gen AI experiences and tips with each other. Facilitate this through internal forums, lunch-and-learn sessions, and mentoring programs. Recognize and reward employees who contribute to this knowledge-sharing culture to further motivate participation.

Examples of Successful Gen AI Learning Initiatives

Promote a culture of peer learning where employees share their Gen AI experiences and tips with each other through internal forums, lunch-and-learn sessions, and mentoring programs. Recognize and reward employees who contribute to this knowledge-sharing culture to further motivate participation. Pair employees with successful early Gen AI adopters to facilitate knowledge sharing and skill development. This approach builds stronger professional relationships and fosters a collaborative learning environment. Peer mentoring encourages employees to learn from each other’s experiences, providing practical insights and real-world applications of Gen AI.

For instance, one of my clients who I am helping integrate Gen AI, a mid-size tech company, paired early adopter employees who volunteered as peer mentors and trainers with colleagues, covering diverse Gen AI topics from coding to content creation to prompting. This enhanced collaboration and knowledge exchange across teams, resulting in increased confidence among employees in using Gen AI tools, leading to higher productivity and innovation.

Host hands-on workshops and seminars to provide in-depth training on Gen AI tools and techniques, encouraging the practical application of learned skills by incorporating real-world scenarios and interactive exercises. For example, another client, a regional insurance company organized regular workshops on Gen AI implementation, focusing on practical applications relevant to their industry. Participants gained hands-on experience with AI tools, learning how to integrate them into their daily workflows. These workshops not only improved individual and team efficiency but also sparked new ideas for leveraging AI to enhance customer service and streamline operations.

Break down complex Gen AI topics into short, focused lessons using videos, quizzes, and interactive content to allow employees to learn at their own pace. A regional financial services company with which I worked offered microlearning courses in Gen AI, providing flexible learning paths tailored to individual needs. Employees could access lessons on-demand, increasing engagement and participation in training programs. The microlearning modules covered a wide range of topics, from basic AI principles to advanced data analysis techniques, resulting in improved employee skills and productivity.

Incorporate game elements like points, leaderboards, and badges into training programs. Reward progress with certificates and other incentives to create competitive and collaborative learning experiences. Another client, a large professional services firm, introduced gamified training for Gen AI skills, incorporating elements such as points for completed modules, leaderboards to track progress, and badges for milestones achieved. This approach significantly improved engagement and course completion rates. Employees found the gamified elements motivating and enjoyable, leading to higher participation and retention of skills. The competitive aspect encouraged employees to strive for excellence, while the collaborative features facilitated teamwork and knowledge sharing, resulting in a marked increase in the practical application of Gen AI skills across the organization.

Conclusion

Track learning progress and outcomes to identify skills gaps and training needs. Use data to personalize learning experiences based on insights, continuously improving programs based on feedback and data. Encourage a growth mindset among employees by providing opportunities for ongoing education and development. Recognize and reward learning achievements and integrate learning into daily work routines. Align learning initiatives with organizational goals. Engage leadership in promoting a learning culture, foster a collaborative and supportive learning environment, and celebrate successes and milestones in learning journeys.

By doing so, you will effectively Integrate Gen AI into your company’s learning and development, harnessing the expertise within your organization to drive innovation and efficiency and ensure your company stays ahead of the curve in the evolving Gen AI landscape. The time to act is now, and the key lies in the untapped potential of your own workforce.

Key Take-Away

Recognize and empower your Gen AI Pioneers to enhance your company’s L&D strategy. By leveraging their early adoption insights, you can develop effective practices, boost efficiency, and stay ahead in the evolving AI landscape.… >Click to tweet

Image credit: Ron Lach/Pexels

Originally published in Disaster Avoidance Experts

Dr. Gleb Tsipursky was named “Office Whisperer” by The New York Times for helping leaders overcome frustrations with Generative AI. He serves as the CEO of the future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts. Dr. Gleb wrote seven best-selling books, and his two most recent ones are Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams and ChatGPT for Leaders and Content Creators: Unlocking the Potential of Generative AI. His cutting-edge thought leadership was featured in over 650 articles and 550 interviews in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, USA Today, CBS News, Fox News, Time, Business Insider, Fortune, The New York Times, and elsewhere. His writing was translated into Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Korean, French, Vietnamese, German, and other languages. His expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, and speaking and training for Fortune 500 companies from Aflac to Xerox. It also comes from over 15 years in academia as a behavioral scientist, with 8 years as a lecturer at UNC-Chapel Hill and 7 years as a professor at Ohio State. A proud Ukrainian American, Dr. Gleb lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Business, Finance and Religion

About Dr. Gleb Tsipursky

Known as the Disaster Avoidance Expert, Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is on a mission to protect leaders from dangerous judgment errors known as cognitive biases, which devastate bottom lines and bring down high-flying careers. His expertise and passion is developing the most effective and profitable decision-making strategies, based on pragmatic business experience and cutting-edge behavioral economics and cognitive neuroscience, to empower leaders to avoid business disasters and maximize their bottom lines. You can learn more here https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/glebtsipursky/ The bestselling author of several books, Dr. Tsipursky is best known for his national bestseller on avoiding disasters and achieving success in business and other life areas, The Truth Seeker’s Handbook: A Science-Based Guide. His next book, Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters, is forthcoming with Career Press in November 2019. It’s the first book to focus on cognitive biases in business leadership and reveal how leaders can overcome these dangerous judgment errors effectively. After that he’s publishing The Blindspots Between Us: How to Overcome Unconscious Cognitive Bias and Build Better Relationships with New Harbinger in April 2020, the first book to focus on cognitive biases in professional and personal relationships and illustrate how we can defeat these dangerous judgment errors in our relationships. See more information here https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/author-page/ Dr. Tsipursky’s cutting-edge thought leadership was featured in over 400 articles he published and over 350 interviews he gave to popular venues that include Fast Company, CBS News, Time, Scientific American, Psychology Today, The Conversation, Business Insider, Government Executive, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inc. Magazine, and many others, as you can see here https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/media/ Dr. Tsipursky's expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, speaking, and training for businesses and nonprofits. He serves as the CEO of the boutique consulting, coaching, and training firm Disaster Avoidance Experts, which uses a proprietary methodology based on groundbreaking research to help leaders and organizations maximize their bottom lines by addressing potential threats, seizing unexpected opportunities, and resolving persistent personnel problems. His clients include Aflac, Balance Employment Assistance Provider, Edison Welding Institute, Fifth Third Bank, Honda, IBM, International Coaches Federation, Ohio Hospitals Association, National Association of Women Business Owners, Sentinel Real Estate, The Society for Human Resource Management, RealManage, The Columbus Foundation, Vistage, Wells Fargo, the World Wildlife Fund, and over a hundred others who achieve outstanding client results. You can learn more about that here: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/about Dr. Tsipursky also has a strong research and teaching background in behavioral economics and cognitive neuroscience with over 15 years in academia, including 7 years as a professor at the Ohio State University and before that a Fellow at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. His dozens of peer-reviewed academic publications include journals such as Behavior and Social Issues, Journal of Social and Political Psychology, and International Journal of Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy. His civic service includes over 4 years as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Intentional Insights, an educational nonprofit advocating for research-based decision-making in all life areas. He also co-founded the Pro-Truth Pledge, a civic project to promote truthfulness and integrity for individual professionals and leaders in the same way that the Better Business Bureau serves as a commitment for businesses. He serves on the Advisory Board of Canonical Debate Lab and Planet Purpose, and is on the Editorial Board of the peer-reviewed journal Behavior and Social Issues. A highly in-demand international speaker, Dr. Tsipursky has over two decades of professional speaking experience across North America, Europe, and Australia. He gets top marks from audiences for his highly facilitative, interactive, and humor-filled speaking style and the way he thoroughly customizes speeches for diverse audiences. Meeting planners describe Dr. Tsipursky as "very relatable," as "a snap to work with," and as someone who "does everything that you would want a speaker to do." Drawing on best practices in adult learning, his programs address the wide spectrum of diverse learning styles, as attested by enthusiastic client testimonials and references. He regularly shares the stage with prominent leaders, for example recently speaking on a roundtable panel with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Elhadj As Sy, Chancellor of Austria Brigitte Bierlein, CEO of Penguin Random House Markus Dohle, and billionaire philanthropist and Chair of the Bertelsmann Management Company Liz Mohn. You can learn more about his speaking and see videos here: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/speaking/ Dr. Tsipursky earned his PhD in the History of Behavioral Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2011, his M.A. at Harvard University in 2004, and his B.A. at New York University in 2002. He lives in and travels from Columbus, OH. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, hiking, and playing with his two cats, and most importantly, he makes sure to spend abundant quality time with his wife to avoid disasters in his personal life. Learn more about him at https://DisasterAvoidanceExperts.com/GlebTsipursky, contact him at Gleb[at]DisasterAvoidanceExperts[dot]com, follow him on Instagram @dr_gleb_tsipursky and Twitter @gleb_tsipursky. Most importantly, help yourself avoid disasters and maximize success, and get a free copy of the “Assessment on Dangerous Judgment Errors in the Workplace,” by signing up for his free Wise Decision Maker Course at https:// DisasterAvoidanceExperts.com/Subscribe You can read more about the author here.

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