AI Access Is Not AI Readiness

Giving employees access to AI doesn’t mean they’re ready to use it. Organizations can provide the tools, licenses, policies, and prompt libraries—and still see employees hesitate, misuse AI, distrust its answers, or struggle to apply it to real work.

In a digital-skills masterclass with more than 1,000 employees at a Fortune 100 organization, one concern stood out: trust. Employees worried about accuracy and hallucinations—and wanted practical, role-specific ways to use AI confidently. The lesson was clear: AI adoption is emotional before it is technical.

In this interactive session, you’ll discover how L&D can move beyond AI access and awareness to build the judgment, skills, and confidence people need to use AI effectively and responsibly.

You’ll learn how to:

• Distinguish AI access, literacy, capability, and readiness
• Address the hesitation, distrust, and overconfidence that can undermine AI adoption
• Apply the SUMMS™ Blueprint to AI learning experiences
• Use the SCRIPT™ framework to improve human-to-AI briefing
• Build simple judgment checks that reduce hallucination risk and inappropriate reliance
• Create peer-practice environments where employees can safely experiment, learn, and improve

Access gives employees the tool. Readiness gives them the ability to use it well.

Zena Collins is Principal Consultant at Grand Strategy Consulting and an emotional intelligence, culture, and AI adoption strategist. She brings more than 25 years of experience in leadership development, organizational change, and commercial transformation, including 14 years at EY.

She has managed a US$100 million-plus revenue portfolio and supported a US$232 million business serving more than 100 enterprise clients. Her work has increased competitive-bid win rates by 50% and produced a sales and proposal system that reached 100% adoption within three months.

Drawing on the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso emotional intelligence model and Miller Heiman sales methodology, Zena has coached and trained hundreds of professionals. She helps organizations strengthen client relationships, navigate change, and turn opportunities into measurable value.