Artificial intelligence is moving at an unprecedented speed, but most organizations do not yet have the training and skills in place to match their interest in deploying this captivating technology.
According to a 2024 ISACA pulse poll of 3,270 digital trust professionals, only 15% of organizations have AI policies and 40% of organizations offer no AI training at all. This comes at a time when companies increasingly are motivated to infuse AI into their product portfolios to innovate and keep pace with industry competitors.
This is an unsustainable disconnect. Moving forward with AI implementations without robust governance and training in place can expose organizations to major risks, including spreading AI-powered misinformation, leveraging poorly configured or ethically dubious algorithms, and generative AI platforms leaking companies’ valuable intellectual property. In this era of heightened AI prominence, enterprise leaders need to ensure their teams have ongoing education and oversight in place so that their investments create value while steering clear of financial and reputational damage.
Improved job performance
It is especially important for digital trust professionals — those working in fields such as cybersecurity, privacy, risk management, governance, and IT audit — to understand the impact AI will have on their organizations and on their jobs. The best way to do so is to provide these practitioners with continuous learning — not only covering the fundamentals, but also digging into how to audit AI, how to lower risks associated with AI by mitigating threats, and how to account for AI’s often-overlooked ethical implications.
This can take place efficiently, both in terms of time and cost, through online courses offered by professional associations and other industry thought leaders. Enterprises have little choice but to embrace this responsibility, as the reality is that academic institutions’ curricula generally are not able to keep pace with the latest dynamics of the emerging technology landscape, so companies cannot realistically expect new entrants to the field to be equipped with the knowledge and skills that they need. Additionally, even seasoned practitioners will need ongoing training given the pace at which AI and other emerging technologies are changing job roles and creating opportunities to innovate.
Greater job satisfaction
This training is a win-win for organizations and their teams. Not only will organizations that provide training help their practitioners perform their jobs better, but it also can boost staff retention — an ongoing challenge in many digital trust fields. Practitioners are more likely to want to stay at a company where they are provided continuous learning in AI and other emerging technologies, which helps to future-proof their careers in an era of automation and volatility.
The vast majority of professionals recognize the importance of upskilling in AI. According to the ISACA survey data, 94% of digital trust professionals say AI skills will be important for them to obtain, and 85% say they will need to increase their skills and knowledge in AI within two years to advance or retain their jobs. This data reinforces that supporting professionals’ AI training goals should ascend toward the top of the list of companies’ professional development budget priorities.
Increasing importance
The intriguing capabilities of AI — swiftly analyzing high volumes of data, using chatbots to better understand customer behavior, utilizing predictive capabilities in manufacturing, and the list goes on — have understandably commanded the attention of enterprises across sectors and geographies. As researchers further refine its capabilities, AI will only become more of a focal point that will inspire companies to recalibrate their business models.
The time is now for organizations to assess how integrating AI into their operations can both add value and create new risks, and educate their workforces accordingly. In an era when the digital ecosystem is riddled with threats and mistrust, companies must provide the training needed to make AI trustworthy and ensure their investments in this promising technology remain on solid footing.
