Try This Experiment with Your Team at Work: AI Microlearning

The problem: Leaders want to uplevel their employees on AI tools but are unsure of how to get started.

What we tried: We ran an AI training program for Slack employees anchored on 10 minutes a day of AI microlearning.

The results: Participants in the training reported increased confidence, enjoyment, and productivity using AI at work.

The problem: desk workers are lacking education and training in GenAI

We know from our Workforce Index survey that employees who use AI tools at work are seeing big benefits, from increased productivity to deeper on-the-job engagement and satisfaction. 

But the data also shows that most desk workers (two out of three) are not yet using AI tools and the majority — 85% — don’t feel they have the training and education to use AI effectively. 

To address this problem in our own workforce at Slack, we partnered with Almost Technical to offer a GenAI training program centered around three weeks of bite-size (5- to 15-minute) hands-on assignments.

What we tried: AI microlearning

We invited employees to apply to join a three week AI training program. The 25 selected participants – representing all areas of the company – were added to a Slack channel moderated by trainers from Almost Technical

Participants were encouraged to share their work each day, especially when projects didn’t go as planned. Learning from each other and being inspired by one another’s use cases turned out to be one of the most valuable aspects of the program. 

“It was important to us to keep the cohort on the smaller side, 25 people, because we wanted to create a sense of camaraderie and connection among participants,” said Chrissie Arnold, Director of Future of Work Programs for Slack’s Workforce Lab. “We knew from past experiments that the smaller and more intimate the group, the more freely people would share and get to know each other.”   

Most worker’s explore AI independently, on their own. But “practicing in public” can speed up AI adoption by showcasing creative use cases to a wider audience through a supportive community of peers.

“The biggest learning happens when people see someone else’s project or idea and have that ‘I didn’t even realize that was possible!’ moment,” says Helen Kupp, founder of Almost Technical. “The curriculum and content provide structure to experiment, but the true value is when people get inspired and discover valuable use cases from each other.”

The results: increased confidence, enjoyment, and productivity using AI

Participants were surveyed at the start and end of the training, and the results were impressive:

• 87% increase in participants seeing AI tools as beneficial to their productivity at work
• Comfort level using AI nearly doubled from 43% to 72% of participants 

• AI use doubled with 48% of participants using AI daily and 72% using it weekly after the training (compared with 19% and 24% prior to the training) 

“This program was my favorite thing I’ve experienced in two years at Slack. Loved bonding with new people over a relevant skill-based topic.”

Try it with your team

1. Build a simple gen AI microlearning curriculum, targeting no more than 10 minutes of learning per day with hands-on projects sprinkled throughout. You could partner with an organization like Almost Technical to develop this or create your own (you might even ask AI to help you generate it!)
2. Recruit participants who are eager to learn. We shared program details in a Slack channel, had applicants fill out a simple Slack workflow, and then invited the most promising applicants into a private channel for the cohort. 
3. Host a kickoff meeting for program participants to set expectations, answer any questions, and give people a chance to meet each other in real time. Then you’re off to the races — drip your daily content into the cohort’s Slack channel, and designate a few participants to help engage the group and keep conversation flowing.