Virtual training

Teaching Smarter: How to Provide Winning Technical Training for Generative AI

The CloudShare Team

Jan 10, 2024 - 4 min read

According to Salesforce, roughly two-thirds of companies are looking for ways to leverage generative AI. Yet nearly the same number are unprepared to actually implement the technology. They are, as the old adage goes, putting the cart before the horse.

Can you blame them, though? In spite of how overhyped the technology has become, the majority of business leaders believe it will not only have a huge impact on their organizations but also disrupt their entire industry. Small wonder, then, that even amidst an ongoing skill gap and concerns about the technology’s lack of governance, so many businesses are still scrambling to find a way to leverage generative AI in their workforce.

Part of the problem is that few people understand generative AI. They don’t really know how it works, so they have no idea how to apply it or how it may evolve in the immediate future. Luckily, there’s a solution – establish a training program to help your people upskill, reskill, and learn everything they need to know about artificial intelligence.

Here are a few technical training tips to help you get started.

First, Ensure Your Training Team Understands Generative AI

As we’ve mentioned before, there are a ton of benefits to incorporating artificial intelligence into any form of corporate training. While tools like ChatGPT are no replacement for human instructors, they do make it easier to personalize both learning pathways and training materials. People can practice AI upskilling at their own pace and in whatever style best suits them.

But what if your training department knows just as little about artificial intelligence as everyone else? Consider having them enroll in one of the many generative AI courses that are freely available online.

Provide Hands-On Technical Training

Hands-on training is better than passive learning. Not only does it improve learner engagement and motivation, it also helps participants more effectively develop practical skills. In the case of generative AI, this could mean anything from practicing how to engineer an effective prompt to generating personalized outreach messages.

Building on this foundational knowledge, employees could then practice how to make hands-on training more effective by tailoring it to each learner’s specific job tasks.

Embrace Continuous Learning

Per APA’s 2023 Work in America Workforce Survey, 91 percent of people feel it’s important to have consistent opportunities for learning and professional development. An organizational culture focused on continuous learning provides this, while also gearing everyone up to adapt as generative AI evolves. And make no mistake, it will continue to evolve – 2023 may have been a banner year for the technology, but tools like ChatGPT are still very much in their infancy.

The best (or worst, depending on who you ask) is yet to come.

Prioritize Technical Enablement

Whether you’re training customers or employees, basic knowledge of a tool or technology is only the first step. Technical enablement is the real endgame. You want your people to have a deep enough understanding of generative AI that they’re able to use the technology to its full potential without overshooting by expecting it to do something it can’t.

Remember, though, that technical enablement for a salesperson looks very different from technical enablement for someone on your customer success team. They might both use generative AI in a similar fashion. However, a salesperson is likely more concerned with personalized outreach and communication, while a customer success professional may be more focused on creating a better support experience.

You’ll need to develop unique technical enablement training for each use case, keeping the following best practices in mind:

• Start by defining the scope. What critical knowledge and skills does the participant need to gain from this training?
• Use hands-on materials rather than passive content.
• Collaborate with representatives from each department to determine what they need to know and understand.
• Give people multiple options for engagement. Some people prefer self-paced learning, while others want to learn from an instructor.

Keep Your Approach Strategic and Deliberate

There’s no shortage of hype surrounding generative AI, and no shortage of businesses that have bought into it. To effectively incorporate AI into your training programs, you need to understand its weaknesses as well as its strengths. You must also know how to avoid the most common pitfall surrounding the technology — over-reliance.

Generative AI is most effective when paired with human intelligence. Even the most sophisticated tools cannot think critically or creatively, and even the most well-developed models can still fall prey to bias and hallucination. Moreover, generative AI is only as good as its training, which tends to be highly complex, resource-intensive, and potentially brimming with security and privacy concerns.

Treat generative AI like any other training initiative, and avoid trying to rush its implementation.

A Smarter Approach to Technical Training

Generative AI can be a game-changer in the right hands. The problem at the moment is that so few people know how to use it. That’s good news for you, though.

By staying on top of AI technology and establishing yourself as an early adopter, you’ll gain a significant competitive advantage. With an AI upskilling program, you’ll be able to use the technology to its full potential and enhance the skills, knowledge, and productivity of your workforce. This, in turn, will allow you to move progressively further ahead – all while your competitors continue to struggle.

Once you’ve established your AI upskilling program, you’ll be able to use generative AI to its full potential while your competitors continue to struggle.

For a more comprehensive deep dive into reskilling in the age of AI, check out AI Upskilling: Training in the Time of ChatGPT.