Training and Upskilling Your AI Champions

Training and Upskilling Your AI Champions

AI Champions are at the heart of successful adoption. They help teams see where AI adds value, share practical examples, and model responsible use. But to do this effectively, Champions themselves need training, guidance, and ongoing development.

Equipping Champions with the right skills ensures they are confident advocates, trusted guides, and effective multipliers of adoption.

Why Upskilling Matters

Without support, Champions risk becoming enthusiastic but inconsistent. Training ensures they can balance innovation with governance and credibility.

Benefits of structured training

• Champions speak with authority, not guesswork

• Teams receive consistent guidance on safe AI use

• Knowledge spreads more effectively across the organisation

• Champions feel supported, reducing risk of burnout

Core Skills for AI Champions

Champions don’t need to be technical experts, but they do need a mix of domain expertise, AI literacy, and leadership skills.

Key capabilities

• AI literacy: Understanding AI strengths, limitations, and responsible use

• Workflow design: Spotting where AI can reduce friction or add value

• Change leadership: Encouraging adoption without imposing it

• Communication: Explaining ideas clearly and accessibly

• Ethics and governance: Applying fairness, privacy, and accountability principles

Practical Training Strategies

Organisations should treat Champion development as a long-term investment, not a one-off workshop.

Effective approaches

• Workshops: Hands-on sessions using real workflows

• Hackathons: Collaborative events where Champions and teams prototype AI solutions in a short time frame, encouraging creativity, teamwork, and practical problem-solving

• Mentorship: Pairing Champions with AI leaders or external experts

• Peer learning: Regular forums for Champions to share successes and failures

• Shadowing: Allowing new Champions to observe experienced ones in action

• Knowledge hubs: Centralised resources with playbooks, case studies, and FAQs

Building Confidence Through Practice

Skills stick when Champions use them in real work. Encourage experimentation with safety nets so Champions can learn without fear of failure.

How to build confidence

• Start with low-risk, high-visibility use cases

• Encourage Champions to share results openly

• Celebrate small wins to reinforce momentum

• Provide feedback loops to refine workflows together

Supporting Continuous Growth

AI evolves quickly, so Champion training cannot be static. Organisations should provide ongoing upskilling opportunities.

Sustaining development

• Offer refresher sessions as tools and policies change

• Encourage Champions to attend conferences or webinars

• Rotate Champions into different teams to broaden their perspective

• Recognise contributions formally to sustain motivation

Final Thought

Training and upskilling AI Champions is not optional—it’s essential. Champions who feel equipped and supported can confidently guide their teams, embed responsible practices, and accelerate adoption across the organisation.

Invest in their growth, and you invest in sustainable AI transformation.