Your AI strategy needs more than technology - here’s how to get it right.
Slack’s 2024 AI Usage Report offers a surprising takeaway: while the AI hype is cooling, the urgency to use it effectively is stronger than ever. Nearly 20,000 professionals across industries shared their thoughts, and here’s what stands out: the organizations that invest in clear communication, psychological safety, and training are seeing measurable ROI from AI adoption.
At ApplyAI, we’ve found the same. Whether it’s through in-depth interviews or advising growing teams, one thing is clear—AI isn’t just about the tools. It’s about how people feel using them. Here are a few quick, actionable ways to get unstuck and start building momentum:
1. Everyone feels urgency around AI, but few companies have communicated a clear plan.
Slack’s report reveals that 63% of employees want to use AI more in their workflows, but only 27% say their organization has provided clear guidance on how to do so. Confusion breeds hesitation, and hesitation means lost opportunities.
Fix it fast: Draft a traffic light guide for AI use cases. Categorize tasks with 5 examples of each.
Red Light - never use AI for these tasks
Yellow Light - use AI cautiously with oversight for these tasks
Green Light - freely use AI for these tasks
Fix it for good: Create a clear AI policy and embed AI use training into your employee lifecycle. Think beyond the tech—what behaviors, guardrails, and goals will define responsible use?
2. Employees aren’t afraid of AI—they’re afraid of how leaders perceive them using it.
The real fear? Being seen as replaceable—or as someone taking shortcuts. According to Slack, 44% of employees worry their AI use could be perceived as a threat to their role, despite leaders increasingly expecting higher productivity. Employees need to feel safe experimenting with AI.
Fix it fast: If you’re a leader, make AI use visible. Screen-share ChatGPT during a meeting, show how you tweak prompts, and praise others for trying new tools. It’s small but powerful.
Fix it for good: Sit down with your leadership team to align on AI’s role in your workforce. How do you want it to impact workloads, headcount, and culture? Then, craft a plan to communicate it openly and repeatedly.
3. Training transforms fear into confidence—and usage into ROI.
This one’s a game-changer: those who are trained to use AI are up to 19 times as likely to report that AI is improving their productivity. Yet the majority of desk workers (61%) have spent less than five hours learning how to use AI and 30% of workers say they’ve had no AI training at all,
Fix it fast: Ask your most savvy AI user to host a live “show and tell.” Watching someone flow with the tools is worth a dozen written guides.
Fix it for good: Roll out a baseline training program that blends workflows with experimentation. Great training isn’t just technical—it’s about shaping AI mindsets and building trust.
4. Redefining productivity is critical in an AI-powered world.
When an AI model can draft 100 podcasts in minutes, the value of “output” shifts. Leaders need to redefine what matters: quality and impact over time spent. Slack found that 71% of managers are struggling to evaluate productivity in AI-driven workflows.
Fix it fast: Notice the language you use when praising work. Replace “You worked so hard on this!” with “This proposal nails exactly what we needed.”
Fix it for good: Map your value chain. Where can AI amplify impact, and where does human creativity drive unique results? Align KPIs accordingly.
AI adoption doesn’t have to be daunting. At ApplyAI, we help teams turn confusion into clarity and experimentation into results. If your organization is ready to lead in the age of AI, let’s talk.
