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.