86% of UK managers have had no AI training; 1/3rd never used it
Here's a stimulating story from The Times yesterday about a survey from the Chartered Management Institute. They polled 1,000 managers across the UK and... well. The results were a bit shocking.
The Times reports (paywall):
According to the survey for the Chartered Management Institute, managers are unprepared and lack confidence in their ability to properly use the technology, which has been dramatically changing business operations from call centres to marketing and the drafting of legal documents. The findings come as Whitehall has stepped up its efforts to encourage more companies to make use of AI-driven services to improve their productivity.
The survey indicates that 86% – 860 of the 1,000 polled – have not undergone any training whatsoever when it comes to AI.
That's not good. I speak from a position of interest because I work regularly with the London Institute of Banking and Finance as an external faculty member offering executive training on AI. Anecdotally, the executive participants I have met confirm this.
I think it's absolutely business-critical to ensure that senior leaders have some degree of awareness about Artificial Intelligence, if only so that they can make rational decisions in the face of utterly enthusiastic (and perhaps, slightly misguided) AI enthusiasts and 'experts' in their teams.
I feel compelled to point out that 'using ChatGPT' doesn't qualify you as an AI expert. However, it at least gives you a bit of an idea of what some technology is capable of, in some contexts.
These same individuals are already using AI daily, whether they're shopping on Amazon, or looking at their 'seamlessly organised' photos on iPhoto or Google Photos.
I don't think managers need to be AI experts. They do, however, need to have an appreciation of what is realistically possible today... and what is just 'make believe'. Being able to understand how the technology is likely to be of use in a variety of different situations will be eminently useful.
This is a useful survey to consider when you're out talking to managers and senior executives. Don't assume anyone is an expert. Likewise, don't assume they want to be talked to like a 5 year old either!
(A hat time to Caroline Walton, CCO at Incio AI who posted about The Times story on LinkedIn).
