Building AI Literacy Across Your Organization: Why It Matters and How to Get Started

Building AI Literacy Across Your Organization: Why It Matters and How to Get Started

AI Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present

We’re living in an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how we work, think, and innovate. From predictive analytics to natural language processing and generative tools, AI is no longer a futuristic idea reserved for data scientists or engineers—it’s a core business driver.

But here’s the catch: AI tools are only as powerful as the people using them. For AI to deliver real value, the workforce must be equipped with the right skills and mindset. Building AI literacy across your organization isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative. It empowers employees to harness AI effectively, integrate it into their workflows, and support your company’s AI-driven evolution. 

Check out McKinsey & Company’s 2025 report titled "Superagency in the Workplace”, [i]January 2025.

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They advise that companies must put a heightened focus on practical applications that empower their employees and enable them to adopt AI, or they will fall behind.

As part of our series “Unleashing the Power of Female Leadership in Generative AI: A Game-Changing Series”, I am honored to partner with Gretchen Griffin, who will address how to build AI literacy across your organization and reinforce why it is critical.

Gretchen Griffin is a seasoned medical writing leader with over 25 years of experience across pharmaceutical, biotech, and CRO settings. She brings a growth mindset and strategic lens to regulatory and clinical document development while building and leading high-performing teams.

Gretchen Griffin, MS, MBA

Sr. Director, Medical Writing Submissions

modernatx.com

The Knowledge Gap That Could Hold You Back

Let’s face it—many organizations are excited about AI but unprepared to use it effectively. They invest in powerful platforms and tools but forget one critical ingredient: their people.

The result? Underused technology, stalled pilot programs, and a workforce that feels overwhelmed or excluded from the AI conversation. Without foundational knowledge and practical confidence in AI, employees are less likely to adopt new tools or contribute meaningfully to transformation efforts.

This is the AI knowledge gap—and it presents both a problem and a massive opportunity. By building AI literacy across roles, functions, and levels, organizations can unlock a more innovative, agile, and empowered workforce. Employees don’t need to become AI experts—they just need to understand what AI is, what it can (and can’t) do, and how to apply it to real problems.

Hey Leaders, It’s on Us to Set the AI Ground Rules

Let’s be real: your team is already playing with generative AI – about 3 times more than you think according to the McKinsey article – yet nearly half of them say a bit of structured training would be the biggest help, and 1in 5 feel they’re basically on their own. If leaders stay silent, employees invent their own workarounds, security gaps pop up, and the real bottleneck isn’t the tech—it’s us.

Leaders need to lay down clear ground rules, deploy valuable training, and show what “good” looks like in the day-to-day work. Suddenly, the speed-versus-safety tug-of-war becomes a playbook everyone can follow. Bottom line: if leaders set the tone early, AI turns into a disciplined growth engine—-not the Wild West. In life sciences the upside is huge, but so are the stakes. When leadership marries bold AI ambition with GxP-grade governance and company-wide up-skilling, the tech stops being a shiny experiment and starts delivering safer therapies to patients—faster.

Four Steps to Building AI Literacy

So how can organizations start building AI literacy? It begins with intention, inclusion, and investment. Here are four practical strategies to move the needle:

1. Offer AI Training Programs for All

As we discussed in Topic #3, “Building Cross-Functional Teams for Successful GenAI Integration”, not every employee needs to code a machine learning model—but everyone should understand the basics of AI: how it works, what terms like “generative AI” or “machine learning” mean, and how these tools can help them in their day-to-day roles.  AI literacy is crucial for organizations to move forward.

Start with foundational training that demystifies AI and removes intimidation. Make it interactive, use real-world examples, and tailor it to different learning styles. Think lunch-and-learns, microlearning modules, or even AI office hours. The goal? Turn curiosity into confidence.

2. Create AI Champions Across Departments

Change happens faster when it’s peer-driven. Identify a group of “AI champions”—individuals across teams who are passionate about technology and can help lead the way.

Train them more deeply and give them the space to pilot tools, share use cases, and support others. They become internal role models who make AI feel approachable and relevant to each team’s goals. From HR to finance to R&D, every function can have its own AI trailblazers.

3. Align Learning with Business Priorities

AI literacy isn’t a one-size-fits-all initiative. The AI opportunities in marketing are very different from those in supply chain or regulatory affairs. So don’t just roll out generic content—tie training directly to your organization’s challenges and priorities.

For example, help the legal team explore how AI can streamline document review. Show scientists how generative models can accelerate literature analysis. Demonstrate how to generate meeting minutes with action items in a matter of minutes. When training is embedded in business contexts, it becomes more actionable—and more valuable.

4. Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning

AI is evolving fast. What feels like a breakthrough today will be standard practice next year. That’s why it’s crucial to embed a mindset of continuous learning into your organization.

Celebrate experimentation. Encourage teams to share lessons learned. Build internal communities where people can ask questions, exchange ideas, or attend informal demos. And make it okay to not know everything—AI literacy is a journey, not a destination.

Empowered People, Smarter Outcomes

Building AI literacy isn’t just about skilling up—it’s about unlocking potential. When employees understand AI, they’re more likely to:

• Embrace change instead of resisting it.

• Identify new opportunities to optimize processes or solve problems.

• Collaborate across teams to drive innovation.

• Contribute to a culture of responsible, ethical AI use.

Ultimately, an AI-literate workforce is a competitive advantage. It turns AI from a top-down tech investment into an organization-wide capability.

What’s Your Next Move?

AI is here—and it’s moving fast. The question isn’t whether your organization should adopt AI. The question is: Are you and your people ready to make the most of it?

Start by assessing your team’s current knowledge. Ask them what excites or worries them about AI. Then design small, inclusive steps that meet them where they are and grow their confidence.

AI Literacy Is Everyone’s Business

Let’s end with this: AI isn’t just a job for data teams or digital transformation leads. It belongs to all of us. From frontline teams to the C-suite, every employee should feel equipped to engage with AI, ask critical questions, and imagine new possibilities.

Building AI literacy is how we democratize innovation—and it’s how we ensure that our future with AI is not just smart, but human-centered and equitable.

[i] McKinsey & Company, January 2025, “Superagency in the Workplace”