Being AI-tools ready vs. being AI expert-adjacent, Communications Leaders face this AI literacy challenge today. It is no longer about learning to leverage the growing number of AI tools entering our profession. Perhaps more importantly, it is about becoming expert-adjacent to the broader AI ecosystem.
No, we don’t need to become AI technologists. But understanding how AI systems are defined and classified, the stakeholders involved across their life cycle, the opportunities and risks around adoption, and the evolving conversations on trust, transparency, accountability and governance — each of these need to occupy enough of our mindshare.
This is one reason I recently spent time learning about ISO/IEC 22989:2023, the international standard that establishes terminology and concepts for Artificial Intelligence. Interestingly, this came up during conversation with a dear former colleague and a 2-min welfare call became a deep conversation about thinking beyond the obvious when it comes to AI.
I’d recommend my fellow communicators, in fact, anyone in my LinkedIn network interested in understanding AI beyond tools and applications to explore this training. What I found particularly valuable was the opportunity to develop a more structured understanding of AI systems, their life cycles, stakeholders and the broader principles surrounding their use.
It reinforced something I have been thinking about for some time.
As communicators, we will increasingly find ourselves at the intersection of AI, leadership, employees and reputation, tasked with translating complexity into clarity, helping leaders articulate the purpose behind AI adoption, addressing employee questions, supporting change, building trust, and contributing to conversations around responsible AI and governance.
To sum it up, I feel for Communications Leaders, AI literacy therefore needs to evolve on two tracks:
- Learning how to leverage AI: makes us better communicators.
- Learning how to help organizations navigate AI: makes us more valuable strategic advisors.
That, for me, is an important distinction as we think about the future and I am excited about what we as communications leaders can bring to the table.
Rohit Mishra
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