Some of them are implementing certification programs with top-tier universities like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford for their top executives, while several others are conducting boot camps and having peer-to-peer knowledge sharing initiatives and customized learning roadmaps to ensure leaders understand the implications of AI on strategy and talent, and its uses and regulations across industries.
Professional services firm Genpact is developing a core focus on artificial intelligence to foster expertise and innovation by training CEOs and other senior executives. Up to 85% of its senior leaders are expected to earn certification from institutions such as MIT by the end of 2024 in applied AI leadership, or the use of AI in a business setting, said country manager Piyush Mehta.
“For our leaders, it was a race to see who would be the first to receive the training. This includes our CFO and general counsel, who were the first to receive it,” he said. “So when you look at people who have received AI training, it’s not just business people or technical people, it’s the most senior leaders in the company.”
In addition to leaders, more than 100,000 Genpact employees are actively learning the fundamentals of generational AI: 70,000 have completed entry-level training and 18,000 have completed more advanced work.
ET also spoke to engineering giant Larsen & Toubro, IT services provider Infosys, multinational professional firm Accenture and US enterprise software firm Intuit about their initiatives to upskill senior executives in AI. At L&T, which has deployed the Internet of Things across 15,000 of its plants and machinery, and runs deep geospatial engineering through drones, AI is the foundation for future business improvements, said R Ganesan, head, corporate centre, L&T Construction. The company’s CXOs are learning and adapting to the technology through two platforms, he said. L&T EYE is a real-time business KPI dashboard, while the second platform, L&T Cognitive Services, is for data science and AI, including GenAI, Ganesan said.
Infosys is encouraging C-suite leaders to apply AI and advanced analytics to drive enterprise-scale value for clients, said Shaji Mathew, group head of human resource development.
“This means getting better at everything from sizing the AI opportunity and assessing data needs to being able to determine how to implement AI responsibly and learning best practices across industries. Infosys Wingspan plays a pivotal role in this upskilling process by offering curated content and practical sessions covering technical aspects, responsible AI, and AI case studies,” Mathew added.
The company’s business leaders also benefit from the program on AI: AI Applications for Growth, designed by the Infosys Leadership Institute. Offered in collaboration with the Kellogg Institute, this program focuses on AI-based business applications and their implications.
Accenture has launched a learning roadmap for leaders that covers capabilities such as digital fluency, enterprise-level governance, cross-functional collaboration, ecosystem partnerships, human-centered change management, and people leadership. This, the company claims, helps leaders understand the fundamentals of GenAI and how to scale it across the enterprise, reimagine work and reshape the workforce, unleash people’s potential, and embrace AI responsibly.
“We have partnerships with Stanford University, MIT, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University and the Alan Turing Institute to enable learning for our senior executives and leaders in data, AI and adjacent roles,” said Lakshmi C, HR director, Accenture, India.
Intuit’s AI adoption acceleration program for leaders helps them improve their mindset, practical skills and engineering for innovation, according to the company. Some are also taking AI courses independently, in addition to participating in in-person bootcamps and internal programs.
Beeline for educational technology platforms
Edtech platforms are seeing a surge in CXO enrollments for AI courses.
Earlier this year, Coursera launched the GenAI Academy, aimed at corporate executives. One of the focus areas of this program is executive education for strategic decision-making.
CXO enrollments in AI-related courses increased by 300% in the April-June 2024 quarter compared to the previous year.
Simplilearn said the edtech company has seen a 10% to 18% increase in student enrollments in AI programs for CXOs, compared to a 5% to 8% increase in CXO enrollments for general programs.
This can be attributed to the advent of disruptive technologies like AI and the growing interest among leaders in understanding these technologies to drive better business outcomes, said co-founder Kashyap Dalal.
The main sectors in which CXOs are acquiring new skills include IT, banking and consulting, he said.
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