Why Training Your People on AI Isn't Optional Anymore

 

Let me ask you something: When was the last time your company rolled out new software and just assumed everyone would figure it out on their own?

Exactly. You wouldn't dream of it.

Yet that's precisely what most businesses are doing with AI right now. They're giving employees access to ChatGPT or whatever flavour-of-the-month they've subscribed to, then wondering why adoption is patchy and results are underwhelming.

I've trained teams in over 70 countries, and I can tell you this with absolute certainty: Access without training is just expensive confusion.

The businesses winning right now aren't the ones with the best AI tools. They're the ones whose people actually know how to use them properly.

 
1) The £50,000 Question Nobody's Asking

Three months ago in London, I had this conversation with a CEO of a 200-person firm:

Him: "We've given everyone AI tools. Cost us £50,000 a year. Usage is terrible."

Me: "How much did you spend training them?"

Him: (long pause) "We sent an email and did a bit of internal training."

There's your problem.

You wouldn't hire a salesperson without training them on your sales process. You wouldn't buy expensive machinery without training operators. But somehow, with AI, businesses think access equals competence.

It doesn't.

The companies that invest in proper AI training see 3-5x higher adoption rates. The ones that don't are burning money on subscriptions nobody uses effectively.

2) The Productivity Mirage

Most employees use AI like a slightly smarter Google. They ask basic questions, get basic answers, then declare "AI doesn't work for my job."

But when you train people on effective prompting, context setting, and AI-assisted workflows? Magic happens.

I worked with a marketing team in Atlanta using AI to "write social posts." Generic rubbish. Totally unusable.

Two hours of training later, they were generating 15 message variations, analyzing competitor content, brainstorming campaigns, and creating first-draft copy that actually sounded like their brand.

Same tool. Different results. The only variable? Training.

The art of prompting and how to use it is one of the most essential skills required right now. I think they will be teaching it in Universities in the future, if not already.

Frank's Quick Tip: Don't train people on "AI." Train them on "AI for your specific role." A finance person needs different skills than a marketing person. Generic training produces generic results.

3) The "Shadow AI" Problem (That Should Keep You Awake)

Your employees are already using AI. They're just doing it badly, without oversight, and possibly creating massive compliance or security risks.

When I audit companies, I consistently find:

• People pasting confidential information into public AI tools

• Employees using AI-generated content without checking accuracy
• Teams making decisions based on AI outputs they don't understand
• Complete inconsistency across departments

 Untrained AI use isn't just ineffective, it's dangerous.

Proper training teaches people how to use AI safely, what data they can and cannot share, how to verify outputs, and when AI is appropriate (or inappropriate) for different tasks.

4) The Competitive Time Bomb

While you're debating whether AI training is worth the investment, your competitors are already doing it.

Last month in Dubai, a retail company shared their results after comprehensive AI training:

• Customer service response times down 60%, satisfaction up
• Product team research time cut by 40%
• Marketing team doubled content output without hiring anyone

Meanwhile, their nearest competitor is still "evaluating AI strategy."

Guess who's winning market share?

This is happening right now. Businesses that train their people on AI are moving faster, serving customers better, and innovating quicker. The ones that don't are falling behind in real-time.

 
5) The ROI Is Ridiculous

Let's do some simple maths (yes, "maths" with an 's'—I'm British).

Invest £500 per employee in comprehensive AI training. That's typically one or two full days.

If that training helps each person save just two hours per week through better AI usage, you've got a 10-hour monthly return. At an average loaded labour cost of £50/hour, that's £500 saved per month per person.

Your investment pays for itself in one month. Everything after is pure profit.

I've seen companies achieve far better than two hours weekly savings. Some teams are saving 10-15 hours per person per week. The ROI isn't just good—it's spectacular.

6) What Training Actually Does (That Access Never Will)

Training creates a culture of intelligent AI adoption.

When everyone understands AI's capabilities and limitations, you get:

• Teams collaborating on AI-enhanced workflows
• People sharing effective prompts and techniques
• Innovation bubbling up from unexpected places
• Natural champions who help others improve

I worked with a manufacturing company in Spain where AI training sparked an internal innovation competition. Employees from warehouse to executive suite started sharing clever AI applications they'd developed.

Production efficiency up 18%. Employee engagement up. Turnover down.

None of that happens with just access.

 
The Bottom Line

Giving your employees access to AI without proper training is like giving them a Ferrari and expecting them to win races without driving lessons.

They might eventually figure out how to move forward, but they'll never unlock the real performance—and there's a decent chance they'll crash along the way.

The businesses that will dominate the next decade aren't the ones with the most sophisticated AI tools. They're the ones whose people know how to use AI effectively, safely, and strategically.

Training isn't an expense. It's a competitive advantage you either choose to build or choose to surrender to someone else.

From where I'm sitting—having trained thousands of professionals across every continent—the companies investing in AI training right now are the ones I'd bet on. The ones still "thinking about it" are the ones I'd be worried about if I were their shareholders.

The technology is here. The tools are available. The only question left is: Are your people actually ready to use them?

Want to transform your team from AI-curious to AI-capable?

I've developed training programs that take people from zero to genuinely effective in record time—no technical background required. Visit frankfurness.com to see what's possible for your business.