Welcome to our post on how to build an AI learning hub in your organization. This is the final part of our series on building a Responsible AI Governance Policy.
Let’s jump in!
Review on Responsible AI
In any organization, it is crucial to have a policy for responsible AI. This blog post is part of a series that helps you put such a policy in place. The other parts cover:
- How to Build an AI Governance Plan: An introduction to responsible AI and why you need it in your organization.
- How to Identify AI Guiding Principles: Develop core principles that will guide AI usage and how you expect your team to behave with AI.
- How to Choose a Governance Structure: Establishing a framework for AI governance.
Make sure to check those out if you haven’t already!
Video Transcript
Hey, everybody, thanks for tuning into the new whiteboard series from the virtual strategist. My name is Erica Olsen. I’m the CEO of OnStrategy. I’m so glad you’re here. We’re talking about building responsible AI in organizations. And this video is one of four parts that specifically helps you put a policy in place to have responsible AI.
In your org and with your team, this video is on building a learning hub as part of your responsible AI policy. The other videos covered at governance structure, super important as well as building guiding principles and to start with an overview of the whole thing. So check those out if you haven’t already.
And do not skip this one because AI. Is all about continuous learning and continuous improvement and continuous innovation. So, you know, in order to make your organization ingest AI as part of your DNA, it needs to have a hub of learning. So let’s jump into the whiteboard and talk about how to set yours up.
So setting up a learning hub has three parts. We always like three parts. It keeps it easy and simple. Uh, this whiteboard again is set up to help you facilitate a conversation with your team, um, or figure it out yourself and then talk to your team about it. But it’s really structured to, to build it with your team.
So first things first are, you know, why do we need one? Um, actually, and I think that that is important to get aligned on. So one of the things that we’ve noticed a lot when it comes to AI deployment and organizations is there’s a lot of siloed efforts and in order to move fast, and this is about moving fast, smart and fast in order to move fast, we need to stop the silos.
We got to learn from each other and we need to be intentional and prescriptive about that. We leaders need to be intentional and prescriptive about that. And again, I already said that too, because you need to iterate and learn and adapt faster. You also want to make sure that you’re on top of potential emerging risks.
So that’s another reason to kind of have a hub of coming together, uh, to make sure that you’re starting to see a risks that you might not be thinking about right now as they’re starting to pop up again, because this is such a. Such a, a new field of play, so to speak for so many organizations. Yep. I talked about preventing duplicative efforts.
We want a space for innovation, so we want to encourage innovation. And there is just so much going on and so many ideas to share. When we start to create momentum with AI, the momentum creates more momentum. And that’s really what you want. It also really helps people, uh, get out of maybe a place of feeling scared, uh, about this technology.
So. So once you agreed on the Y and it and everybody’s convinced and committed, um, it doesn’t need to be heavy. Uh, learning hubs could be asynchronous and synchronous. Asynchronous meaning, uh, in a virtual capacity, uh, and, and in, uh, channels, right, Slack channels, teams, channels, um, and also synchronous coming together.
So let’s talk about. And it would be important to decide where are you going to centralize, uh, the information in the learning. So a lot of organizations have SharePoint sites set up that will host your guiding principles. That will post your governance structure, post your AI committee members, and set up some thoughts and guidelines around how to eat and innovate either in a team’s channel, maybe it’s a Slack channel, or maybe it’s another set of tools that you’re using, which is where you come together, but it’s dedicated.
And then of course, how you use it is always super important. You know where the ideas go versus projects, so on and so forth. And then another thing that would be important to articulate is the idea that certain projects need to come forward to be shared, reviewed and public and learnings captured and published.
And so depending upon how the A. I. your A. I. committee that you established. Because you listen to the last video, depending upon the scope of your AI committee, that AI committee may just be a a centralizing committee to shepherd and champion AI, in which case they don’t have authority to say yes or no to projects, but rather they can.
Come together to review and pull learnings so that you’re starting to share things out into the broader org. That committee also might actually be an approval committee, in which case, maybe some projects do come forward for review. But the point on this is just to say, when you’re setting up a learning hub, consider 2 things.
One is that you’ve got asynchronous channels set up. So people can participate when they want to and how they want to, and number two, you have a live place, could be virtual, but a live place to come to, to talk about projects, review projects, and share learnings. In addition to that, it’s always helpful to set up a really simple communications matrix, so your committee, who will be shepherding, All of this knows who to communicate to and when again, we don’t need to overdo it, but we do need to be intentional.
So this is a pretty simple communications matrix where you would identify your audience, all staff, maybe when you’re going to roll out certain aspects of maybe the learning how maybe it’s guiding principles, whatever it is, what is the, the, and how, so this is the channel like how, right? And when ongoing communication, how and when, and then the preferred method, it’s covered up by my, My video, but please know this is intended to be the communication tool, right?
So if this is email, maybe it’s an all staff community, all staff meeting, maybe it’s part of the CEO weekly debrief, whatever that happens to be. So again, just listing all staff, excuse me, listing all the audiences. This is all staff is one of them, all the audiences when you’re rolling stuff out, how you’re going to communicate, communicate ongoing, and then what’s the tool that you’re going to use to execute that communication.
Again, just want to really say we don’t need to overdo it, but we do need to lightly make sure there’s clarity on how your team comes together and how your organization comes together to learn from each other so that you can iterate, learn and adapt faster. So with that, that’s the last part of putting together your responsible AI policy, and you’ll have everything you need so that AI becomes part of your organization and part of your DNA.
And you do it safely and smartly and quite frankly, have some fun with it. So with that, if you want to use our live and editable whiteboards, click on the link in the, on the screen and you’ll get access to the mural boards. Subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already. We’re dropping videos often about this subject and others.
Thank you so much for tuning in. Happy strategizing.
What is an AI Learning Hub? Why Do You Need One?
AI is all about continuous learning, improvement, and innovation. The entire point of AI is to help your team accelerate manual processes and improve workflows to become more efficient!
But to help your team iterate, learn, and improve AI for your team’s benefit, AI must start to be engrained in your organizational DNA. A learning hub will help kickstart this process and give your team a direct line of sight into governance. Here are the key reasons you need an AI learning hub:
🛠️ Break down silos.
One of the common issues with AI deployment in organizations is the existence of siloed efforts. To move fast and smart, it is crucial to stop these silos. A learning hub encourages collaboration and ensures everyone is on the same page.
Pro Tip: Leadership needs to be involved here. Being intentional and collaborative helps foster a culture of shared learning. This is not a “set it and leave it” type of effort.
⚠️ Stay ahead of emerging risks.
AI is a rapidly evolving field, and new risks can emerge unexpectedly. A learning hub allows your team to stay on top of these potential risks, ensuring proactive management rather than reactive responses. By coming together regularly, your team can identify risks otherwise not seen.
Pro Tip: A diverse perspective in teammates is helpful in identifying risks others might not see.
🚀 Encourage innovation.
A learning hub creates a space for innovation. When momentum builds with AI projects, it often leads to more ideas and innovations. This collaborative environment helps your team to feel less intimidated by the technology and more excited about its possibilities. Innovation thrives in environments where ideas can be shared and built upon.
Pro Tip: Help create the “spark” of innovation by celebrating wins – even if they’re small!
How to Set Up a Learning Hub
Setting up a learning hub involves four main parts. This structure helps keep the process easy and manageable.
Part 1: Align on the need.
The first step is to get everyone on board with why a learning hub is necessary. This alignment ensures commitment and clarity within the team.
Key reasons might include ideas:
- Preventing duplicative efforts.
- Fostering a space for innovation.
- Managing emerging risks.
When everyone understands the value of the learning hub, they are more likely to engage actively. So, align on the need before proceeding forward!
Part 2: Set Up Learning Channels (A-Sync)
The second part of this exercise is deciding how you’ll communicate with each other. This will depend on your organization, but we recommend creating a dedicated space inside Teams or Slack where information can be shared.
These channels provide flexibility for team members to contribute and learn at their own pace.
Pro Tip: Decide where to centralize your learning hub’s information. Many organizations use SharePoint sites to host guiding principles, governance structures, AI committee member lists, and innovation guidelines. Centralization helps ensure that everyone knows where to find and contribute information.
Part 3: Set up a dedicated learning space (in-person or virtual).
The next step in setting up your AI learning hub is setting up dedicated learning sessions.
These live sessions, which can also be virtual, are designed for team members to come together, discuss AI priorities and workflows, and review projects. They can foster real-time collaboration and immediate feedback on what is happening in your organization.
Pro Tip: Set up regular meetings to discuss and review projects and share learnings. Depending on the pace of your AI initiatives, these can be scheduled weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
Part 4: Set up your learning hub file system.
Another important aspect is the process for reviewing projects and sharing learnings. Depending on your AI committee’s scope, projects may come forward for review, and learnings should be captured and published.
Many organizations set up dedicated SharePoint sites or other platforms to centralize information. This hub should include:
- Guiding Principles: Outline the core principles guiding AI use in your organization.
- Governance Structure: Define the roles and responsibilities within your AI governance framework.
- Learning Reviews: Regular sessions where completed projects are reviewed, and key learnings are shared with the broader organization.
- Publishing Learnings: Creating a repository of learnings from various projects that can be accessed by all team members.
Communication Strategy
An effective communication strategy is essential for the success of your learning hub. Set up a simple communications matrix to ensure clarity on who needs to communicate with whom, how, and when.
Communication matrix.
Identify your audience and outline:
- Who: The target audience (e.g., all staff) and why they should be included in these communications.
- What: The content to be communicated (e.g., guiding principles, project updates). Everyone might need different types of information based on their role or view, so customize your communication matrix to reflect this.
- How: The communication method (e.g., email, staff meetings, CEO briefings).
- When: The frequency and timing of communication (e.g., ongoing, specific rollout dates).
This matrix helps ensure that everyone knows their roles and the flow of information is smooth and effective. The communication matrix should be clear but not overly complex, ensuring that all relevant parties receive timely and appropriate updates.
Practical Tips for AI Your AI Learning Hub
Here are some practical tips to ensure your learning hub is effective:
✅ Use existing tools to manage your learning hub.
Leverage tools and platforms your organization is already using. Whether it’s Slack, Teams, or SharePoint, integrating your learning hub into familiar tools can encourage participation and reduce the learning curve.
✅ Encourage participation.
Foster a culture of sharing and collaboration. Encourage team members to contribute their insights and learnings. Recognize and reward active participants to maintain engagement.
✅ Regular updates.
Keep the learning hub dynamic up to date. Regularly update the information, guidelines, and shared learnings to keep the hub relevant and useful.
✅ Monitor and adapt.
Continuously monitor the effectiveness of your learning hub and be ready to make adjustments as needed. Solicit feedback from users to identify areas for improvement.
Conclusion
With these steps, you will have everything you need to integrate AI into your organization responsibly and effectively. AI should become part of your organization’s DNA, allowing you to innovate safely and smartly. Remember, the goal is to foster continuous learning, improvement, and innovation within a collaborative and supportive environment.
