How to help your team be AI confident
How does your team really feel about using AI at work?
Are they excited? Nervous? Maybe a bit of both?
Across schools, colleges, universities, and small businesses, AI is quickly becoming part of everyday work. From lesson planning and marking to admin, marketing, finance, and customer support, AI tools are already being used to save time and reduce pressure.
Although, a new study shows that while adoption is high, confidence still lags behind.
Around four in five professionals now use some form of AI in their role. More than half regularly rely on AI assistants to help them work more efficiently. Yet many educators and SME employees still feel uneasy about using it openly.
Some employees worry they’ll be seen as lazy or untrustworthy for leaning on AI. Others feel judged or second-guessed when they do.
It’s a strange situation. People trust AI to help them, but they don’t always trust how others will react to them using it.
The truth is, AI is here to support people, not replace them. In classrooms and offices alike, it should be seen as a partner. A tool that frees up time for what matters most: teaching, mentoring, strategic thinking, creativity, and problem-solving.
But that only works when people feel confident using it.
Right now, that’s where many schools and SMEs are falling behind.
Only one in three workers has had any formal AI training. Most are figuring it out by trial and error. And that can lead to uncertainty, mistakes, and mistrust.
Leaders and senior staff tend to feel more confident (around 70%), but that confidence drops sharply among junior staff, where only about a third feel the same way.
So what’s the solution?
Like many other things, it starts with culture. Leaders, headteachers, business owners, and managers need to create an environment where experimenting with AI is encouraged, not judged.
Show your team that using AI tools isn’t cheating. It’s smart working.
Give them opportunities to learn, whether through formal training, internal workshops, or simple “show and tell” sessions where people share how they’re using AI to make their jobs easier.
AI confidence doesn’t happen overnight. But when people feel supported and trusted, they’re far more likely to embrace it. That’s when you start to see results, like better efficiency, more creativity, and a team that’s ready for whatever the future of work brings.
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