Corporate Training Revolution Accelerates to Meet AI’s Unprecedented Pace

The AI Training Imperative

Companies across industries are fundamentally rethinking workforce development strategies as artificial intelligence’s rapid evolution creates unprecedented training challenges, according to recent industry reports. Sources indicate that traditional training approaches are becoming obsolete as AI technologies advance faster than most workplace skills have required updating in the past.

The AI Training Imperative
Business Risk and Financial Implications
Training Investments Accelerate
Industry-Wide Training Initiatives
The Flexibility Challenge
Pervasive Impact Across Roles
Customized Learning Approaches
AI-Powered Training Solutions
Ethical Implementation and Governance

“This is a constantly evolving technology,” Simon Brown, global learning and development leader at accounting firm EY, told sources. “It’s not like most things people learnt in the past, which were static.”

Business Risk and Financial Implications

Not having an AI-ready workforce has emerged as a significant business risk, analysts suggest. In EY’s September CEO survey, AI integration reportedly topped the list of potential barriers to achieving corporate financial targets in the coming year.

“As with everything in the AI adoption cycle, the ability of human beings to leverage the technology is critical for it to deliver financial value,” Sophie Walker, senior adviser for sustainability and responsible AI at Swedish private equity group EQT, explained in reports.

Training Investments Accelerate

This recognition is driving substantial investments in AI upskilling across sectors. Tech training company General Assembly found that companies offering regular AI training nearly doubled from 16% in 2024 to 28% in 2025, according to their surveys of US and UK business leaders.

“We’re treating this AI revolution as an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage,” said Peter Fox, head of learning at US bank Citi. “So we need to give employees the ability to use it to the best of their capabilities.”, according to according to reports

Industry-Wide Training Initiatives

Retail giant Walmart recently announced a partnership with AI developer OpenAI to provide free training to its US-based frontline and office workers. “The future of retail won’t be defined by technology alone—it will be defined by people who know how to use it,” Walmart CEO John Furner wrote in a LinkedIn post cited in reports.

At EY, the imperative extends beyond internal needs to client service requirements. “We’re using the tech ourselves and learning what works and what doesn’t,” Brown explained. “That puts us in a position where we can credibly advise clients.”

The Flexibility Challenge

The core challenge companies face stems from AI technologies never standing still, requiring fundamentally new approaches to upskilling. Traditional training programs designed for workplace changes typically take three to six months to develop—by which time AI technologies may have evolved significantly.

“The pace of change with AI is like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” Brown stated. “That means taking a disposable view and renewing training programmes in six months’ time when the world has changed again.”

Pervasive Impact Across Roles

Speed of change isn’t the only distinguishing factor—AI’s pervasiveness across all job functions creates additional complexity. “There’s not a single role that’s not going to be touched by this,” Fox noted.

Walmart Chief Talent Officer Lo Stomski confirmed this assessment. “With AI becoming a component of nearly every role in our company, we need to make sure associates know how to put it to work to serve customers, solve problems and move faster,” she said.

Customized Learning Approaches

Customization has become essential in AI upskilling program design since employees use the technologies differently across functions. Stomski cited examples including:

Store managers using AI-driven task management tools for shift planning
Customer care teams employing AI for faster problem resolution
Executives leveraging AI for research assistance

At EY, the technology spans from senior executives using it for strategic planning to employees creating AI agents to automate daily work elements. “We need to understand what’s possible and make the most of AI at every level of the organisation,” Brown emphasized.

AI-Powered Training Solutions

Interestingly, AI itself is helping address the upskilling challenge. Companies are deploying AI tools to deliver personalized learning that keeps employees current without overwhelming them with constant change.

At EY, AI learning portals understand individual roles and provide targeted content. “The AI learning portal understands who you are and gives you what you need, rather than everything that’s out there,” Brown explained.

Ethical Implementation and Governance

As companies race to equip staff with AI capabilities, they’re also establishing safeguards against unethical use. This includes promoting company-wide AI literacy and implementing internal governance systems.

EQT has created responsible AI programs for its portfolio of more than 300 companies while familiarizing its investment teams with ethical AI practices. The company launched AI literacy sessions for board chairs, including specific training on responsible AI implementation.

Walker argues that upskilling should empower employees at all levels to make ethical decisions. “This is about technology in service of humans, not humans in service of technology,” she concluded.