Game On: How to Make AI Upskilling Your Team’s Favorite New Challenge

AI is clearly on the minds of C-suite leaders these days — for good reason.

Mounting evidence shows AI offers companies a clear competitive advantage. LinkedIn data shows more than half (51%) of businesses that have adopted generative AI reported a revenue increase of 10% or more. No wonder LinkedIn data also shows that 88% of corporate leaders say speeding up AI adoption is a top priority this year. 

While incorporating AI has become a strategic imperative, employers face a variety of challenges — including time constraints, rapidly evolving technology, and employees who might be resistant to change. In truth, organizations don’t need immediate overhauls — they instead need immediate momentum, even when that means starting small. 

With the right strategies, employers can engage workers and start to close the AI skills gap. The following are some ideas from top talent leaders for motivating employees to learn about AI. 

1. Have the C-suite be your biggest AI advocate

One of the best ways for the C-suite to show they support AI upskilling is by not just learning how to use AI themselves but by communicating that AI upskilling is a priority. 

LinkedIn data reveals a growing number of senior execs are doing just that: Nearly three times more C-suite members globally have added AI literacy skills, such as prompt engineering and use of gen AI tools, to their LinkedIn profiles compared with two years ago.

“There should be intentionally visible sponsorship,” says Chris Louie, head of talent development at Thomson Reuters, “for both upskilling and incorporating AI into day-to-day work from C-level leaders.”

 At shipping and logistics company CMA CGM, CEO Rodolphe Saadé showed he’s an AI upskilling champion by attending a launch event for the company’s AI skills accelerator program. Rodolphe also regularly drops by AI training sessions to meet with employees.

“AI adoption is fundamentally a leadership challenge as much as a technology one,” says Dan Shapero, chief operating officer at LinkedIn, in a recent post on why every leader must become an AI leader. “Today’s leaders must role-model exceptional AI usage and evolve into AI leaders who not only personally embrace AI in their own work but who can also inspire their teams to do the same.”

2. Sell the value of AI upskilling 

Some people at your organization will no doubt push back against AI upskilling. Maybe they don’t see how it’s relevant to what they do or they don’t feel like they have the time to invest in it. 

“Nobody wants to take a bunch of training and classes that aren’t going to pay off for them,” says Chris at Thomson Reuters.

To bring everyone along on the AI learning journey, highlight the positive impact AI can have on your company and its people. Reinforce how it increases employees’ efficiency, automates repetitive tasks, and frees up time to focus on more creative and strategic work. By learning AI skills, employees can boost their careers and remain competitive in the workplace. According to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index 2024, 71% of business leaders say they’d rather hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced candidate without them.

“If you can articulate the why behind AI upskilling in your organization, you don’t need to invest so much energy in bringing employees along,” says Janardhan Santhanam, global head of talent development at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in a recent interview.   

3. Foster peer-to-peer AI learning

Your best AI instructor might be sitting just one cubicle over.

More employees are becoming AI superusers, meaning they’re using AI on a daily basis to do everything from analyzing data sets to writing emails and job descriptions. Why not solicit the support of those superusers to share their knowledge with their peers?

Peer-to-peer learning offers multiple benefits: Employees tend to be less intimidated when they’re taught by a coworker. In fact, 55% of workers turn to their peers when they want to learn a new skill.

Another upside: Research shows that when people teach their peers, they themselves have a high probability of retaining what they’ve taught.

AI chipmaker AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) sets up mentorships where junior tech employees are paired with senior managers who help them brush up on in-demand skills. These arrangements have been especially helpful in teaching “deeply technical AI” skills, says Mark Pearson, corporate vice president of talent, culture, and community at AMD. Mark says he’s seen “a willingness to learn” in this format, especially among Gen Zers.

4. Hold an AI learning day

Companies like Thomson Reuters, Kraft Heinz, and Ally Financial Group organize AI learning days to motivate and educate their employees. Offerings include expert talks on big-picture AI topics, tool demos, and interactive workshops. 

Ally Financial goes so far as to hold AI learning days every six to eight weeks drawing an average of 1,200 employees — most of whom don’t work in tech.  

“All of this has created a change evolution where everybody is participating,” said Sathish Muthukrishnan, Ally Financial’s chief information, data, and digital officer in a recent interview. 

Learning days are a good time to engage employees in hands-on AI activities. At a global learning day organized by Thomson Reuters, participants experimented with AI using the company’s internal generative AI playground and were offered suggestions on how to use it.

Hands-on learning demystifies AI and lets employees see how it might be helpful in their work. And research shows people who participate in hands-on learning are more likely to remember what they learned.

Looking for content for your employees’ AI learning day? LinkedIn Learning’s 10 Most Popular AI Courses of 2025 are unlocked and free to access through July 31, 2025.

5. Make AI learning fun

Yes, AI upskilling is important, but don’t forget to have some fun while you’re at it. In fact, a great way to engage employees is by turning AI learning into a game. 

Reward employees who’ve hit AI learning milestones with badges or prizes. Organize live trivia games where employees compete against each other and connect over what they’ve learned. 

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company launched an AI Games competition where employees were challenged to do things like use a chatbot to write a message to a colleague and use a gen AI tool to create a quiz about Eli Lilly’s history. 

6. Find an AI learning framework that matches the needs of your employees

Employees can easily get overwhelmed by the vast amount of AI learning resources available. That’s why it’s important to curate courses and learning paths based on workers’ roles and their level of AI proficiency. 

TCS teaches foundational gen AI skills to all its employees. But the company also organizes more advanced AI upskilling programs tailored for different roles. For instance, AI engineers and architects who require deeper technical skills and specialized expertise move up to higher learning levels and receive appropriate certifications.

Consider adopting a similar strategy. To help organizations, LinkedIn Learning has created an AI Upskilling Framework with five structured learning levels tailored to different degrees of AI expertise. By taking this approach, you can ensure that the right employees are matched with the right AI courses.

And to get started, LinkedIn and Microsoft have teamed up to launch AI Skill Pathways — a curated collection of more than 150 professional certificates, certification prep courses, and learning paths. Your employees can explore 27 of these AI Skill Pathways — unlocked and free through July 31, 2025 — to support learners at every level, from beginner to advanced.

Final thoughts

AI is transforming the way we work — but the journey to build AI fluency doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you’re starting small with peer learning or launching companywide initiatives, every step forward helps your team grow more confident and capable. 

By fostering curiosity, creating space to experiment, and celebrating progress, you can build a culture where AI learning feels empowering and even fun. The future of work is already here, and with the right support, your people will be ready to lead it.