Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming organizations at a breathtaking pace. But even positive change can trigger push-back from detractors. When left unchecked, AI resistance can stop progress in its tracks and put organizational performance at risk.
Are you facing a challenge like this? If so, what can you do to deal with the situation and move AI adoption forward? For actionable ideas, we recently asked members of our community to answer these questions:
“What is the most effective tactic you’ve used to garner support for AI or automation initiatives? What is your advice for others who are experiencing AI resistance?”
In response, 12 diverse business founders, CEOs, and other executives shared their best suggestions. From focusing on transparent communications to initiating pilot projects, here are the methods they use to gain employee buy-in and drive AI adoption:
- Reduce Fears Through Open Dialogue
- Teach Success Through Peer Demonstrations
- Present AI as a Collaborative Teammate
- Involve Stakeholders in AI Development
- Underscore Early AI Wins
- Communicate Transparently
- Focus on the Value of Flexibility
- Cultivate a Culture of Innovation
- Host Interactive AI Training Sessions
- Address AI Misconceptions Through Education
- Be Blunt About the Necessity of AI
- Demonstrate Value with Pilot Projects
For more details about these methods and why they’ve been successful, read on…
12 Tactics That Help Employees Overcome AI Resistance
1. Reduce Fears Through Open Dialogue
Resistance to new technology is often about fear. It could be fear of the unknown or fear of being replaced. Regardless, when people don’t understand the purpose behind new technology or how it functions, they’re not likely to support it.
To get stakeholders and employees onboard, I recommend a two-fold approach centered on alleviating their fears:
- Start with forums for open dialogue, where everyone feels free to express concerns. In response to questions, explain how AI tools or automation will support and enhance current processes. Emphasize specific functions and benefits of this technology and the business goals it will help you achieve.
- Often, people find it hard to discuss unfamiliar concepts. This is where the second step comes into play. Share examples of past tech implementations that led to better outcomes and improved the employee experience or created new opportunities for your teams. Ideally, share company- or industry-specific cases. But even general scenarios can be effective. For example, mathematics didn’t end when calculators were introduced. Instead, calculators strengthened the field by increasing efficiency and supporting more complex calculations.
Balázs Keszthelyi, Founder & CEO, TechnoLynx
2. Teach Success Through Peer Demonstrations
I know firsthand what it’s like to lead a company where half of the team is excited about the potential of AI, while the other half is skeptical. Skeptics may have tried solving a problem with a tool like ChatGPT. But if the outcome fell short of expectations, they concluded it wasn’t useful.
This is why it’s helpful to introduce new technology by showing how effective it can be. For example, we ask people who’ve built code with AI to teach others the tips and tricks behind their prompts. Also, we encourage team members to share on Slack unique ways they’ve used AI to solve problems. Sharing these ideas sparks conversations and inspires further innovation.
Corey Schwitz, CEO & Founder, Skydog Ops
3. Frame AI as a Collaborative Teammate
I have found it effective to highlight the “AI as a teammate” concept. Instead of presenting AI or automation as a threat to job security, I emphasize how it enhances human capabilities, making our jobs easier and more efficient.
For instance, I share personal anecdotes of how AI tools have helped me streamline tasks, freeing up time for more creative and strategic work. When we frame AI as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement, stakeholders and employees often become more receptive. They see it as a support system rather than a competitor.
So, what’s my advice? Show real-life examples. Share success stories. And emphasize the symbiotic relationship between humans and AI. It’s not about machines taking over. Rather, it’s about humans and technology working hand in hand to achieve better outcomes.
Ashwin Ramesh, CEO, Synup
4. Involve Stakeholders in AI Implementation
At MBC Group, we’ve transitioned to AI-driven marketing solutions. And naturally as the founder, I’ve had to navigate AI resistance, particularly when introducing our intelligent AI chatbot, AiDen.
One way I gained buy-in from employees and stakeholders was by involving them in the implementation process. This fostered a sense of ownership and eased concerns about AI replacing jobs or making decisions in isolation.
For example, initially, some people were apprehensive about how the chatbot would affect customer service roles. So, we created a collaborative development environment where our customer service team could suggest features and improvements based on their expert understanding of client needs and pain points.
This improved the chatbot’s effectiveness while demonstrating to our team how AI augments their roles. As a result, employee perspectives shifted. Soon, they became advocates for AI’s benefits, such as reducing repetitive tasks and freeing people to focus on more complex, satisfying customer interactions.
Also, we leveraged real-world data and outcomes to underscore AI’s value. By sharing positive engagement and efficiency metrics, we built a narrative of progress and collaborative innovation. This proved the solution’s worth.
If you’re facing AI resistance, focus on inclusion. Invite input, address fears head-on, and share success stories. Show how AI can be a partner in achieving shared goals. This not only facilitates smoother adoption, but also cultivates a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
Matthew Montez, Founder, The MBC Group
5. Underscore Early AI Wins
When diving into AI and automation at Centime, we hit a sweet spot with a game-changing experiment. We decided to give Jasper AI a whirl to edit a new article, and it was like hitting the content jackpot! Not only did this piece rake in more traffic than usual, but it also slashed our editing time in half.
The cool part? It totally won our CEO’s support. Seeing those traffic numbers and the speed at which we developed that content turned any skepticism into genuine enthusiasm.
So, if you’re getting push back on AI, my go-to advice is to find your “Jasper” moment. Share those tangible wins. For instance, show how AI can seriously up your traffic game and make your content cycle snappier, without replacing your ideas or your talent. It’s all about showing — not just telling — what tech like this is really capable of helping you accomplish.
Aimie Ye, Director of Content Marketing, Centime
6. Communicate Genuinely and Transparently
My best advice is to welcome input. Listen to your team’s concerns and communicate transparently about how you expect any changes to impact their roles and the organization, overall.
For most people, change is stressful when it causes stress about their job security, so be sure to make an extra effort to help people feel secure about this transition, and express how much they matter to you. Reassure everyone that any technology you introduce is not intended to replace anyone. Instead, focus on how it helps make their jobs easier so they can be more effective, and your business can operate more profitably.
Robert Kaskel, Chief People Officer, Checkr
7. Focus on the Value of Flexibility
Recently, some of our team members were unsure about integrating AI into our campaign optimization capabilities. So we added customization tools, so anyone can adjust audience segmentation and personalize email content suggestions. Now, individuals can tailor AI to fit their specific goals, which results in better engagement and campaign performance.
If you’re dealing with similar AI resistance, my advice is to stress the benefits of flexibility. Show how customizable tools can make workflows smoother and outcomes more effective. Instead of imposing a one-size-fits-all approach, provide options that suit different work styles and stakeholder preferences. This helps individuals feel more comfortable with change and more invested in the process.
Lilia Tovbin, Founder & CEO, BigMailer.io
8. Cultivate a Culture of Innovation
To overcome AI resistance, we foster a culture that values innovation and experimentation, where trying new technologies is encouraged and even celebrated. By rewarding risk-taking and learning from failure, employees feel more open to explore AI applications in their work without fear of penalty. This cultural shift helps demystify AI and highlights its potential as a tool for innovation.
So my advice is to cultivate an environment where experimentation is the norm, and people see exploration of new technologies as a key to personal and organizational growth.
Jim Pendergast, Senior Vice President, altLINE Sobanco
9. Host Interactive AI Training Sessions
To help our people adapt to AI usage, we hosted monthly interactive training sessions to familiarize people with how it works. Resources included pre-generated prompts with specific times to use them.
At the end of each session, we assigned “homework.” Specifically, we asked employees to use AI daily on a task of their choice. Then, at the start of subsequent meetings, we encouraged everyone to not only share their experiences but also any troubles they had.
The goal was to help people troubleshoot their issues while discussing anything new they discovered between meetings. When training was complete, we sent out an anonymous survey, asking users to specify their frequency of usage, their favorite AI tool (such as ChatGPT or Gemini/Bard), and any additional questions or comments they wanted to share. Fortunately, these learning experiences were positive. Now, many of our team members rely on AI tools when they think they will help.
If someone is hesitant about the idea of using AI, it is important to have a conversation so you can understand why. Some people may not trust the software. In this scenario, they could try using AI on a smaller scale to generate information they know (such as a line of HTML code). This can illustrate how automation helps enhance their work.
Some members of your team are still likely to resist. But with interactive training as a foundation, more people are likely to see the benefits of using AI and will be more likely to embrace it.
Cache Merrill, CEO & Founder, Zibtek
10. Address AI Misconceptions Through Education
In facing resistance to AI adoption, education is our primary tactic. We offer comprehensive workshops and resources to dispel AI misconceptions and demystify its capabilities.
By showcasing tangible benefits and addressing concerns head-on, we’ve found that stakeholders are more receptive. My advice: Invest in transparent communication and empower individuals with knowledge to foster understanding and collaboration.
Ryan Doser, Co-Founder, AI Insider Tips
11. Be Clear About the Need for AI
When executives resist automation or AI adoption, it’s important to be blunt, yet truthful. In other words, I would remind them that if we’re clinging to old ways of doing things for the sake of tradition, we’ll inevitably be left behind by more progressive competition that isn’t afraid of change.
As technology moves forward, we can choose to lead the way in incorporating these tools or let others pass us by. Embracing AI and other innovative technology is key to future-proofing our work and remaining competitive.
Sometimes the hardest part is accepting that change is necessary. However, once we do, new opportunities open up.
Juliet Dreamhunter, Founder & AI Strategist, Juliety
12. Demonstrate Value With Pilot Projects
When facing resistance, we implement small-scale pilot projects. This lets us demonstrate the potential value of new technology without requiring full-scale implementation.
At Jeenam Infotech, we readily adopt new technology to scale up our offerings. We involve employees through observation or active participation. They get to see improved performance, efficiency, or other benefits.
For example, our marketing team was involved in a pilot project where we automated parts of our content marketing pipeline. I asked an employee to come forward and try out the new AI capabilities to generate a content draft and perform an SEO analysis.
Also, we set-up a monitor so others could watch. The team saw how AI required minimal effort and how much time it can save them with quick content turnaround and analysis. At the end of the project, everyone was eager to use AI functionality. So my advice is to give employees an opportunity to test new technology directly, and let the results speak for themselves.
Mayur Bhatasana, Co-Founder & CEO, Jeenam Infotech
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