Why Your IT Department Shouldn’t Be in Charge of AI Training

When a company invests in a powerful new AI platform, the first instinct is to hand the training over to the IT department. It’s a logical move, but it’s also the reason most AI initiatives fail to deliver real value.

Here’s why: IT departments are experts in teaching software. They show people features, workflows, and which buttons to click. But AI isn’t a predictable tool; it’s a thinking partner that requires judgment and business context. As a recent Forrester report from July 2025 notes, “The primary barrier to scaling AI is not technical, but cultural. Without a clear link to business value, tools remain novelties.” This isn’t just a theory; it’s a reality for leaders on the front lines. As Pete Hogan, CIO at Compana Pet Brands, puts it, “I believe it is a business enablement function, not IT. We’re just technical people that should be enabling business functions.”

When IT leads the training, your employees learn how to operate software. When a business enablement expert leads, your people learn how to solve problems. While your team is stuck in feature walkthroughs, your competitors are teaching their marketers how to run virtual focus groups that save $10,000 a pop and their R&D teams how to turn a six-week formulation project into a two-second query.

To get real value from AI, you need to shift the ownership of training from IT to the business.

• Focus on the “Why,” Not Just the “How”: Training must start with a specific business problem, not a generic AI feature.
• Make it Role-Specific: Your marketing team needs different skills than your finance team. A generic, one-size-fits-all training is a waste of everyone’s time.
• Empower, Don’t Just Document: The goal is to build a dynamic skill through hands-on workshops.

Your IT team is a critical partner for the technical rollout and security of AI. But teaching people how to think with AI belongs to a partner who understands your business, not just your software stack.

Is your AI training stuck in an IT mindset? Spark AI Strategy delivers human-centered, business-focused training that connects your AI investment to real results.