AI Business Essentials for Leaders Training

This one-day course provides business professionals with a comprehensive introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a particular focus on organisations that are evaluating, planning, or implementing AI-driven change.

Artificial intelligence is set to play a major role in shaping the next generation of software solutions and business models, creating opportunities for organisations to develop new products, services, and ways of working. To realise these benefits sustainably, however, AI-driven change needs to be carefully planned, its risks understood, and its adoption built around safe and responsible practices.

The course begins by making the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning easier to understand. Through practical activities, participants become familiar with essential terminology, common AI use cases, and key risks. The programme then explores how to evaluate an organisation's readiness for AI, identify important stakeholders, and approach the implementation of AI projects while developing an organisational culture that supports responsible and trustworthy AI.

Throughout the day, the focus extends beyond technology itself to consider the organisational changes required to establish a successful and sustainable AI-ready culture.

Please note: For organisations looking for a shorter programme, private deliveries can be tailored by selecting any two of the four course modules for the participating group.

There are no specific prerequisites for attending this course.

This programme is intended for professionals who are interested in AI or involved in introducing and implementing AI within an organisation. It is particularly relevant to:

• C-Suite executives
• Senior managers
• Organisational change practitioners and managers
• Business change practitioners and managers
• Programme and planning managers
• Service provider portfolio strategists and leads
• Process architects and managers
• Business strategists and consultants

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain fundamental AI concepts in clear business terms.
• Apply practical knowledge when defining an organisational AI strategy.
• Evaluate practical approaches for developing an AI-ready organisational culture.
• Gain hands-on experience with prompt engineering techniques relevant to business scenarios.
• Understand the principles that support responsible and trustworthy AI adoption.
• Apply knowledge through practical workshops and collaborative group activities.

Module 1: Introduction to AI for Business

This module establishes a practical understanding of the fundamental concepts behind Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. It also provides an introductory view of Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning while connecting different AI technologies with business problems.

Participants will:

• Identify examples of different AI solution types and categorise the problems they address.
• Match key concepts and definitions across Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative AI, and Reinforcement Learning.
• Identify appropriate data sources that could be used to train AI models or assess them for discrimination and bias.
• Recognise the risks associated with sharing organisational data with externally hosted AI models.
• Determine suitable AI solution types for at least three example scenarios and explain why subsequent human quality assurance remains necessary.

Module 2: AI Strategy and Building an AI-Ready Culture

This module explores how organisations can benefit from artificial intelligence, how AI is transforming different sectors, and how to assess whether an organisation is ready to undertake AI-driven change.

Participants will:

• Recognise the need for an organisation-wide AI strategy and understand the importance of change management.
• Discuss the ways AI is transforming areas such as government processes, retail, financial services, and everyday life, including examples shared by participants.
• Assess an organisation's readiness for AI transformation.
• Identify common pitfalls in AI transformation programmes and consider appropriate mitigation approaches.

Module 3: AI Projects and Implementation

This module focuses on the people, technical roles, skills, and processes required to implement AI solutions successfully and safely.

Participants will:

• Distinguish the roles and responsibilities of technical professionals involved in AI projects, including AI/ML Engineers, Data Scientists/Developers, Data Engineers, AI/ML Ops specialists, and Data Technicians.
• Outline a typical AI development lifecycle and summarise the responsibilities of technical team members at each stage.
• Match example AI tools and their capabilities with appropriate project requirements.
• Examine a range of security risks associated with AI solutions and identify at least one mitigation approach for protecting an AI model.

Module 4: Fostering Responsible and Trustworthy AI

The final module considers the governance mechanisms and organisational controls that can help ensure AI is used safely, responsibly, and reliably.

Participants will:

• Discuss the purpose of organisational AI policies, standards, and regulations, together with evolving international legal requirements.
• Explain why effective data governance processes are necessary to support compliant, responsible, and trustworthy AI use.
• Identify tools and technologies that can support AI governance within an organisation.