Recently, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang made headlines when he succinctly articulated a crucial truth: “You’re not going to lose your job to AI, you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.” Huang emphasized that individuals and companies will thrive not by fearing AI, but by “actively and aggressively” engaging with it.
At Rise, we constantly hear from clients and industry colleagues who want to know the “right way” to use AI. Our answer is the same: Start with your people.
As always, marketing leadership isn’t about keeping pace; it’s about setting the pace. In this case, that means understanding that AI is now an imperative for career development. Huang’s message serves as a powerful reminder: Marketers who aren’t receiving training today are being set up for failure down the road. This is why Rise has doubled down on L&D programs involving AI. Here’s what our leadership has learned so far:
- You need to demystify the basics: With the possible exception of some junior hires, nobody learned AI in the classroom. Provide the foundational knowledge so your teams understand the principles of the technology. Marketers may know how to find an edge, but they can’t always immediately identify where AI delivers value in their specific role. Meet them halfway.
- Learning by doing is key: The potential and limitations of this technology depend on your use case. But practical workshops and real-world projects help team members see how AI applies to their work. It’s okay to start small. Using AI for simpler tasks is an on-ramp to the larger creative solutions you’re chasing.
- Focus on culture: Beyond technical skills, find ways that AI fits into your organization’s existing L&D narratives. Frame the unfamiliar (new technology) in the realm of familiarity (company values). Innovation feels more manageable when it’s put into terms and contexts that your teams already understand and have bought into.
- Formalize collaboration: AI literacy may be a hard skill, but leaders can use soft skills to get everybody reading from the same playbook. Facilitate internal knowledge-sharing and forums for discussing insights, disseminating best practices and collaborating on AI-driven initiatives. Lean into the idea of collective intelligence. Make AI share-outs business as usual, not a one-off event.
When it comes to AI, marketing leadership goes beyond ensuring that your teams have the right software and tools. To set the pace, you need to commit to centering AI in your L&D.
At Rise, our core belief is that we owe our clients solutions that help them stay agile, competitive and position them for real, long-term success. We owe our own teams the same thing.
Want to continue the conversation and learn more about AI-powered marketing solutions? Rise can help.
