Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day is a chance to take stock of how rapidly AI has reshaped the workplace. What was recently viewed as an emerging technology is now part of day-to-day business operations, helping organisations automate repetitive tasks, improve decision-making and unlock new ways of working.
As AI capabilities continue to evolve, however, the conversation is shifting and businesses are turning their attention to how they can use the technology successfully. Preparing people, processes and data are becoming just as important as the technology itself.
Long term success relies on developing workforce skills, capturing organisational knowledge, building strong data foundations and giving employees the confidence to work alongside AI, not against it. These foundations will determine how well organisations innovate and remain competitive as AI becomes fundamental to the modern workplace.
Upskilling for the future of work
Understanding how to work effectively with AI is quickly becoming a vital workplace capability, regardless of job title or experience.
Meredith Van Eeuwen, Head of People and Culture at SAP UK, says organisations are already changing how they recruit and nurture talent.
“Businesses and their employees are increasingly embracing AI to accelerate innovation, automate routine tasks and solve for end-customer challenges. With that comes a growing expectation that new joiners have the relevant skills. Recent SAP research found that nine in 10 CHROs expect new hires to be comfortable with AI on day one or to learn the tools immediately after joining.
“Businesses that create structured opportunities for employees to develop that blend of skills, for example through hands-on experience and mentorship, can support and enable a workforce that is prepared for what comes next. That is how businesses can continue to lay the foundations for greater innovation and long-term growth.”
Supporting employees to build AI skills should not stop once they’re fully onboarded. David Barber, Director UCL Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Distinguished Scientist at UiPath, believes AI capabilities should be treated as a long-term business investment instead of simply another learning programme.
“Employees across every level and function should receive formal AI education alongside access to tools, not just those in technical roles. This training must be practical, accessible and continuous.
“Building organisation-wide AI capability should be viewed as a key business priority rather than just a learning and development initiative.”
Why context matters more than capability
As organisations deploy AI more widely, many are discovering that the quality of outputs depend heavily on the quality of content and data available. Without the right context, even the most advanced models struggle to deliver meaningful business value.
David Torgerson, VP of Technology and Security at Lucid Software, believes businesses should prioritise the operational foundations that allow AI to perform effectively over the long-term.
“AI Appreciation Day is an opportunity to recognise just how quickly AI has transformed the workplace. It’s a remarkable shift, but we’re still only beginning to unlock its full potential.
“Realising that potential requires organisations to invest in the foundations that make AI effective, including well-documented processes, shared context, and a culture that encourages people to learn, experiment, and continuously adapt.”
For Simba Khadder, Context Engine Lead at Redis, providing AI with the right context has become one of the biggest challenges organisations face.
“The two hard problems in agents and AI today are still data and evaluation, we just call data ‘context’ now. All the reasoning ability in the world doesn’t help if the model is working with no data or the wrong data.
“The organisations that win in the agentic era won’t be the ones with the best models. They’ll be the ones who can get the right context to the model when it actually needs it.”
Jim Webber, Chief Scientist, Neo4j believes that creating this context depends on connecting knowledge across the organisation.
“The conversation has shifted from building larger AI models to building smarter AI systems that can better support how people work. The real differentiator today is not just the model itself, but the quality of the context it can access.
“Knowledge graphs are increasingly the foundation for AI systems that can work effectively alongside people and support more intelligent, reliable ways of working.”
Working alongside AI, not against it
While AI increasingly automates more routine work, many leaders believe this will increase the need for uniquely human capabilities rather than diminish them.
Lindy Puttkammer, Chief HR Officer at Sinch, says AI should allow employees to dedicate more time to work where human judgement makes the greatest difference.
“The AI era is creating a workplace paradox; as technology automates more of our work, our uniquely human qualities become our biggest competitive advantage.
“By removing the repetitive administrative tasks that are essential in business but occupy valuable brain space, employees have more time for creative thinking, problem solving and collaboration. This gives us time to focus on judgement, empathy and relationship-building that drives success.”
Julia Lecocq, SVP and UK Country Head at AlphaSense, shares this view, arguing that AI is most valuable when it enhances human expertise.
“AI delivers the greatest value when it empowers people rather than replaces them.
“Rather than spending time on busy work that can be automated in seconds, people have greater capacity to apply judgment, critical thinking and creativity in partnership with AI tools they can trust.”
In order to do this, Philip Miller, AI Strategist at Progress Software, believes the emphasis should be on helping employees understand where AI can make a practical and meaningful difference in their work.
“Most people do not need to master models, transformers, neural networks or tokens to create value with AI. They need to understand what they are trying to achieve.
“Enablement must therefore move from the ‘what’ to the ‘how’: from explaining features and infrastructure to understanding the user’s goals, mapping the human workflow and identifying where AI can reduce friction.”
This is even more vital in areas like cybersecurity, as Richard Woolfrey, Regional Director, UK&I at Fortinet, adds: “As businesses introduce AI into their cybersecurity strategies, they need professionals who understand how to deploy, manage and govern these tools effectively.
“Demand for those skills is growing faster than traditional recruitment cycles can support, so businesses must invest in the people they already have.”
Ultimately, widespread AI adoption will depend on making AI intuitive, accessible and genuinely useful for employees across all industries.
Looking beyond AI Appreciation Day
Although many organisations are still grappling with how to maximise return on their AI investments, the direction we are headed in is clear. Those which invest in AI skills, establish trusted data foundations and integrate AI into everyday workflows will be best placed to realise the technology’s full potential.
When employees are equipped with the skills to use AI confidently, AI becomes far more than a digital tool. It evolves into a practical work partner that helps people make better decisions, faster.
