Ever tried getting everyone excited about a new office printer? Now, imagine doing that with AI. It’s a bit like telling your gran about TikTok – you might get anything from polite confusion to outright scepticism. But here’s the thing: building support for AI in your organisation doesn’t have to feel like pulling teeth.
Why Your Team Might Be Wary
Let’s be honest – when we mention AI at work, we tend to get three types of responses:
- The Enthusiast: “Brilliant! When do we start?”
- The Sceptic: “Sounds expensive. Does it actually work?”
- The Worried: “Is this going to make my job obsolete?”
All these reactions are perfectly natural. After all, AI isn’t just another IT system – it’s a transformation in how we work. And like your first attempt at making pancakes, not everything about this change will be perfect immediately.
Starting Small: The Power of Quick Wins
Remember when contactless payments first came out? People were sceptical about waving their cards over something to pay. Now, we barely think twice about it. The key? It solved a real problem (fumbling with change at the shop) and was really simple to use.
Begin with the Boring Bits
Start with tasks everyone hates. In one manufacturing firm we worked with, their first AI project automated the mind-numbing data entry task for quality control sheets. The result? The team got back 12 hours a week for more exciting work. Cost? About £200 a month. The sceptics’ response? “What else can it do?”
Make it Relevant
Marketing teams often struggle to keep up with the relentless demand for social media content. A simple AI tool that generates first drafts of posts can change the game. It doesn’t replace creative talent – it enhances it. Imagine creating twice the content in half the time, with even the biggest sceptics admitting it’s “actually quite helpful.”
Building Your Champions Network
Finding Your Early Adopters
Look for the naturally curious folks in your team – the ones who figured out how to use Zoom filters during lockdown before anyone else. These people are gold dust. They’ll:
- Test new tools and give honest feedback
- Help others see the practical benefits
- Share their successes (and failures) openly
Supporting Your Champions
Give them:
- Time to experiment
- Permission to make mistakes
- A platform to share their learnings
- Recognition for their efforts
Addressing Common Concerns Head-On
“Will AI Replace My Job?”
Be straightforward: AI will change how we work, but it’s about enhancement, not replacement. Share examples:
Customer Service Teams: AI chatbots handle common, repetitive queries instantly, allowing human agents to focus on complex, emotionally nuanced interactions that require empathy and problem-solving skills. Instead of replacing agents, AI tools enhance their roles, making them more impactful.
Example: Imagine a support team at an online retailer. With AI managing questions like “Where’s my order?” the team can spend time personalising responses for loyal customers or resolving unique issues that require human judgment.
Finance Teams: AI can quickly identify patterns, spot anomalies, and predict trends in massive datasets, tasks that would be incredibly time-consuming for humans. This empowers finance professionals to make data-driven decisions and provide strategic insights, elevating their value in the organisation.
Example: Think of an investment analyst who uses AI to identify emerging market trends. Instead of sifting through endless data manually, they can focus on crafting investment strategies or advising clients with a forward-thinking perspective.
Marketing Teams: AI tools can draft basic content, perform A/B testing on ads, or even suggest improvements based on engagement metrics. This frees marketers to focus on strategy, big creative ideas, and deeper audience engagement. AI becomes the ally that handles the grunt work, leaving more time for high-impact initiatives.
Example: A marketing team that once spent hours writing and tweaking social media posts can now use AI to handle first drafts, giving them the freedom to concentrate on campaign planning or storytelling that resonates.
AI is the ultimate amplifier of human intelligence. It’s not about replacing humans, but augmenting their capabilitiesArvind Krishna, CEO of IBM:
“It’s Too Complicated”
Show, don’t tell. One of our clients started with a simple AI tool for summarising long documents. Cost: £50 per month. Time saved: 3 hours per week per person. That’s the kind of maths everyone can understand.
Making It Stick: The Long Game
Regular Show and Tells
Monthly lunch-and-learn sessions where teams share their AI wins (and struggles) work wonders. Keep them informal – we’ve seen great conversations start over sandwiches and success stories.
Celebrate the Small Wins
When someone finds a clever way to use AI:
- Share it widely
- Document it simply
- Make it easy for others to copy
- Recognise the innovation
Practical Next Steps
1. Start Small
- Pick one annoying task in your team
- Find a simple AI tool to help
- Test it with a few willing volunteers
- Measure the time saved
2. Build Support
- Identify your natural champions
- Give them space to experiment
- Create casual forums for sharing learnings
- Document and share successes
3. Keep it Human
- Focus on how AI helps people work better
- Encourage open discussion about concerns
- Share real examples from your team
- Make it okay to be skeptical
The Bottom Line
Building AI champions isn’t about forcing technology on people – it’s about showing them how it improves their work life. Start small, focus on real problems, and let the results speak for themselves.
Remember: The goal isn’t to replace human expertise but to enhance it. When people see AI as a helpful tool rather than a threat, the magic happens.
Need help getting started? Book a free chat with our team. We’ll help you identify quick wins that can turn your biggest sceptics into your strongest advocates.
