With a recent Pew Research report showing that 50 percent of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI, and only 10 percent more excited than concerned, employers who want employees to learn AI skills have a tough slog ahead. Here’s an idea: if you want employees to adopt generative AI, put them in a room, give them real data, and require working demos by the end of the sprint.

The strongest case for this format comes from how learning and adoption actually happen. A widely cited active learning meta-analysis found higher performance and fewer failures when people solve problems directly rather than listen to lectures. A rigorous project-based learning review ties artifact creation to gains in achievement. A 2025 working paper on generative AI in customer support measured a 14 to 15 percent productivity lift, with larger gains for novices — evidence that guided tools and exemplars accelerate capability on the job.

Organizational change also follows visibility and peer proof, which is the core of literature synthesized in a classic diffusion analysis. Put people together, give them governed data, and require five-minute demos to executive judges. That is the........

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