AI Skills Development: Preparing Front Line Workers for AI

The AI revolution is more significant than we can imagine. In a recent survey of Fortune 1000 and global business leaders conducted by the Harvard Business Review, 98% of organizations said they were increasing investments in AI, up from 82% last year. While roughly three quarters of organizations have been using some form of machine learning for more than three years, this year’s survey findings show a seminal point in the industrial revolution not unlike the onset of the internet.

We see daily news stories about the impact of AI. The two stories capturing my immediate attention are the upcoming keynote at this year’s CES conference by NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang, who is slated to discuss the benefits and high demand for his magical Blackwell chips; and the pending strike by the Longshoreman which was largely due to the union’s pushback on the automation of their jobs. This tension point interests me – the large financial and operational investments into AI by business executives and leaders in contrast to the reticence employees to understand the impact on their day-to-day roles.

AI is delivering many important improvements, particularly within manufacturing. A few to note.

Predictive Maintenance

• Rockwell Automation offers FactoryTalk Analytics to alert operators about repair and replacement needs

Energy Efficiency

• GE developed Proficy for Sustainability Insights to more efficiently monitor electricity, natural gas, and water usage

Increase Production

• C3.AI’s Production Schedule Optimization helps develop forecasts and schedule production

How can training play a part in addressing manufacturing workers’ concerns and anxiety? Dan Brown, author of the DaVinci Code says, “We all fear what we don’t understand.”

A key challenge to optimizing AI is access to meaningful training to leverage the new technology, especially within factory-level jobs. A 2023 study from Boston Consulting Group noted that while 70% of the US workforce is concentrated in frontline roles, the AI training was almost exclusively for non-frontline workers – exempt hires like engineers and project managers.

Training can address manufacturing employees’ concerns and anxiety about AI in several ways:

Transparency

• Create foundational courses that explain how AI actually works in manufacturing contexts, using examples like Rockwell’s FactoryTalk Analytics

• Show employees exactly how AI will complement their existing skills rather than replace them entirely

• Demonstrate how AI can ease pain points of their jobs and create safer environments

Lack of Exposure

• Start with simple applications like monitoring predictive maintenance alerts before moving to more complex tasks

• Build confidence through incremental exposure and small wins with the technology

• Implement a “buddy system” where employees work directly with AI tools in a low-pressure environment

Where should you begin your training efforts? Begin with Role-Specific Training, identifying AI tools and applications that are directly relevant to each position. Focus on practical applications and less on the theoretical knowledge or benefits for executives.

Prioritize critical areas by training in phases, beginning where AI is most imminent, like assembly lines, customer service, and accounts receivable. Additionally, any areas like construction safety where AI can bring down safety concerns through real-time monitoring and hazard detection. Targeting areas where AI can be a support, but not replace, is also a helpful place to start to ease employee concerns.

Finally, develop a multi-phased process to address your ongoing needs to support employee training and adoption. Offer basic AI literacy for all employees, which can be done online. Consider deputizing AI Champions, early adopters by role who can support employees in their departments through peer training and use cases. And provide regular training support for leaders that includes ongoing assessment of employee sentiment around the impact of training.

The success of AI initiatives hinges not just on the technology investment, but on preparing your workforce to embrace and effectively use these tools. While 98% of organizations are increasing AI investments, those who pair this with robust frontline training programs will see the greatest returns. The technology is ready – now it’s time to ensure your workforce is too.

Take action now to avoid falling behind in the AI revolution. Start by assessing your current AI training gaps, particularly among frontline workers. Develop a comprehensive training strategy that prioritizes transparency and hands-on experience. Most importantly, allocate training resources proportionally across all levels of your organization, not just among exempt employees. Your AI investment’s ROI depends not on the technology alone, but on your people’s ability to leverage it effectively.