Moderna started upskilling employees on AI 2 years ago. CHRO Tracey Franklin says they’ve learned some big lessons along the way
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Training employees to effectively use AI has become one of the most talked about workplace topics in the last year. But pharmaceutical giant Moderna is way ahead of the curve.
Famous for producing one of the COVID vaccines, Moderna introduced its own AI training program called the “AI Academy” for workers back in December 2021. The intention was to streamline workflows and help employees develop medications more quickly.
When it was initially unveiled, all staff members were required to take an AI fundamentals course to gain the same base level of knowledge and awareness about AI. But Franklin says the company quickly realized a “one size fits all” approach to AI training wasn’t working: some workers found the course too basic, while others said it was too complex.
“We tried to apply the same level of awareness for everyone, and that worked in certain circumstances and didn't in others,” Franklin says.
The company has since reworked its AI curriculum, breaking down the subject into six different education tracks at various skill levels; if an employee only wants to learn AI basics they can do that, while others can develop more technically-focused AI skills. Some courses currently offered include “GPT Kickstart,” a training session teaching employees the basics to using ChatGPT, an “AI Applied” program teaching workers to use data and machine learning platform Dataiku, and a “Data Visualization” course.
The company initially partnered with Carnegie Mellon University to kick off its AI education programs, which Franklin says “helped us tremendously” in terms of prestige and credibility. But Moderna has since brought its AI upskilling learning programs fully in-house.
When it initially launched, Franklin said that net promoter scores (NPS) for the course, or how likely it was that employees would recommend the program to colleagues, were “okay, but they weren't great.” Today, Franklin says the program has an NPS of 71. Anything above 50 is generally considered a positive rating.
The company's shift to specific learning tracks “has helped people to want to stay engaged, because we've really altered it based on their feedback,” Franklin says.
In 2023, 25% of all Moderna employees were engaged in the academy, though the company aims to triple that share by the end of 2024. It’s not mandatory to take an AI class, but Franklin says it’s highly encouraged, especially for knowledge workers in the legal and communications departments.
As for other companies currently trying to figure out how to roll out their own AI training, Franklin says the most important advice she can share with fellow CHROs is “don't be incremental.” “I would go all in and really set the stage culturally that this is where the organization is moving,” she says.
Another word of advice: Refrain from telling workers that using AI will save money for the company. “Don't lead with this is about cost, because that doesn't excite any employee,” she adds.
Paige McGlauflin
paige.mcglauflin@fortune.com
@paidion
Today's edition was curated by Emma Burleigh.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
