How to Identify AI Skills in Your Workforce

AI adoption is accelerating, but many HR leaders still struggle to answer a foundational question:

What AI skills do our people actually need?

The challenge isn’t just identifying what tools to train on. It’s understanding the human side of AI—what knowledge, capabilities, and behaviors employees need to use, evaluate, or collaborate with AI in their day-to-day roles.

Let’s break it down.

1. Start with Core AI Skills

Every employee—not just tech teams—needs a baseline understanding of AI. These core AI skills apply across roles:

  • AI Literacy: What AI is, how it works, what it can and can’t do

  • Prompt Engineering: Writing effective inputs to guide AI tools

  • Collaboration with AI: Using AI to support daily work and reviewing outputs

  • Critical Evaluation: Spotting errors, biases, and hallucinations

  • Data Fluency: Knowing how data shapes outputs and respecting data privacy

  • AI Ethics & Risk Awareness: Understanding risks in AI use, especially in HR processes

2. Match AI Skills to Levels of Use

Not everyone needs to be an AI builder. Most need to use AI well in the flow of their work. Use this simple three-level model to identify needs by role:

Beginner: Communicates with AI, use it for basic tasks, follow data/privacy guidance

Intermediate: Use AI in multi-step workflows, prompt better, integrate AI into tools

Advanced: Designs AI-powered systems, evaluate agents, manage multi-agent flows

This framework helps you move beyond job titles and focus on how people interact with AI in practice.

3. Design Level-Specific Learning Paths

Foundational AI skills training is a good starting point but it’s just that: a start. A smart AI upskilling strategy needs to include AI skills training that is:

  • Practical: Focused on how teams actually work

  • Hands-on: Embedded in real tasks like writing, planning, analyzing

  • Ongoing: With opportunities for experimentation, not one-and-done webinars

Use internal AI skill matrices to track proficiency and training needs across teams.

4. Don’t Skip Ethics

HR has a unique responsibility to ensure ethical and responsible AI use, especially as AI tools are adopted in recruiting, performance management, and talent decisions.

Include dedicated modules on:

  • Bias in AI

  • AI’s limitations and

  • Data privacy and consent to data usage

  • Responsible experimentation

These are not extras. They’re essentials.

HR’s Role in Building an AI-Ready Workforce

Generative AI upskilling starts by defining and identifying the AI skills inside your organization.

Upskilling for AI isn’t just technical. It’s behavioral, ethical, and collaborative. HR plays a strategic role in making sure employees aren’t just using AI, but doing so with confidence, competence, and care.

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The AI-Ready Workforce Framework: A Practical Guide for HR and L&D Teams

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I asked an AI Agent to build a customized AI upskilling plan for a mid-size company. The result was super impressive.