Your Team Is in an AI Race

It's a strange but common story happening in offices everywhere. Your team members, especially the younger ones, are already using AI to draft emails, analyze data, and brainstorm ideas. They're off to the races. Meanwhile, the company itself is still in the locker room, debating the rules and worrying about the cost of the running shoes.

A recent McKinsey study put numbers to this feeling - while nine out of ten employees are using generative AI at work, only a tiny 13% feel their company is quick to adopt these tools.

This gap between employee enthusiasm and corporate hesitation isn't just a tech problem, but a massive communication and culture challenge. And that’s where we, as communicators, have a crucial role to play. We will not be forcing a top-down AI revolution, nope, now it’s about listening, nurturing, and telling the right stories.

Based on the insights from McKinsey, here are four ways to close that gap, with a PR twist.

1. Be a Gardener, Not a Carpenter

Imagine you have a garden. Do you force a flower to grow in a specific, pre-planned spot, or do you find where the sun hits best and nurture the sprouts already pushing through the soil?

Many companies act like "carpenters," trying to build a perfect, top-down AI strategy. This is slow and often outdated by the time it's implemented. The "gardener" approach is to look for where AI is already sprouting organically. Who on your team has found a clever way to use an AI tool? Which department is quietly streamlining its workflow?

The PR Angle: Our job is to find these stories. These internal innovators are our heroes. Instead of a dry press release about a new "AI Policy," we can tell the story of how the customer service team cut response times in half by using AI’s assistance. Championing these bottom-up wins makes innovation feel authentic and inspires others to get involved.

2. Make Learning the Real Reward

Changing habits is hard. Middle managers are busy, and their old methods work just fine. Simply telling them to "use AI" isn't going to cut it.

The key is to create incentives that reward learning, not just usage. This is less about financial bonuses and more about recognition. When a respected team leader stands up and says, "I'm still learning this AI stuff too, and here's a cool trick I discovered," it gives everyone else permission to be a beginner. It makes learning feel safe.

The PR Angle: This is classic internal communications. We can help shape and promote these initiatives. We can create platforms, like innovation competitions or internal demo days, where people can share their learnings. We can help leaders craft that vulnerable, yet encouraging message that says, "Let's figure this out together." That builds trust, which is the fuel for any real change.

3. Turn Experiments into Intelligence

Everyone loves to talk about "failing fast," but few companies are genuinely comfortable with it. A pilot program is often only judged on whether it "succeeded."

The most innovative companies design experiments to learn, not just to win. They start with a clear guess (e.g., "We think AI can cut our reporting time by 50%"). They run small, quick tests. And most importantly, when an experiment fails, they don't just bury it. They ask why it failed and share that knowledge widely.

The PR Angle: Our role is to change the narrative around failure. We need to help create a culture where sharing what didn't work is just as valuable as celebrating what did. It’s about communicating the insight gained from the experiment, regardless of the outcome. This builds a reputation for being a smart, resilient organization, not one that’s afraid to take risks.

4. Stop Praising Everything

In the rush to seem innovative, it’s tempting to celebrate every single AI experiment with over-the-top enthusiasm. But when everything is "amazing," nothing is. This creates noise and makes it impossible to see what's truly a breakthrough.

Be selective and specific with praise. When you celebrate something, explain exactly why it’s a big deal and what it teaches the rest of the organization.

The PR Angle: This is about protecting the brand from "AI-washing" and "innovation theatre." Our credibility rests on authenticity. We should guide leaders to move beyond saying, "Look, we used AI!" to "Here’s a specific problem we solved with AI, and here’s the tangible impact it had." That’s how you build a reputation for substance, not just hype.

The future of your company doesn't depend on buying the most expensive AI software. It depends on building a culture that can learn and adapt at lightning speed. And at its heart, that’s a communication challenge.