Utilities across the country are investing in artificial intelligence (AI) tools to modernize operations, improve reliability, and enhance customer experiences. However, many utilities struggle to scale beyond pilots—and the culprit often isn’t the technology.

In many cases, the real barrier to AI adoption for utilities has to do with people. Without a workforce that is ready and willing to work with AI, even the most advanced tools underperform. Line workers, engineers, and analysts may hesitate to adopt unfamiliar systems, misuse them, or avoid them completely.

That’s where AI workforce enablement comes in. By equipping employees with the skills, understanding, and mindset to use AI effectively, utilities can close the gap between potential and performance.

In this article, we explore why workforce enablement is critical to AI adoption in utilities, what it looks like in practice, and how to build a strategy that aligns people and technology from day one. Discover how AI workforce enablement helps utilities bridge the gap between technology and adoption, empowering teams to use AI confidently, responsibly, and at scale.

Why technology alone isn’t enough

Lack of training, unclear communication, and cultural friction frequently prevent AI initiatives from progressing beyond the pilot phase. Left unaddressed, these hurdles result in low adoption, misuse, and the rise of “shadow tools”—unauthorized AI applications used outside of IT oversight, often with inconsistent results.

For utilities, these challenges can translate into operational inefficiencies, safety risks, and inconsistent service delivery. To realize the full value of AI, utilities need to invest in their workforce as intentionally as they invest in technology. Preparing people to engage with AI confidently and constructively is not simply a nice thing to do—it’s essential to turning potential into performance.

What is AI workforce enablement?

AI workforce enablement is a strategic initiative to equip employees with the mindset, knowledge, and tools to use AI effectively over the short, medium, and long term. An effective AI workforce enablement strategy incorporates three core components:

• AI literacy: Foundational understanding of how AI works, what it can and can’t do, and how to use it responsibly
• AI fluency: Practical, role-specific proficiency in applying AI tools to real-world tasks
• Cultural adoption: A deliberate effort to build cultural readiness for AI adoption, supported by clear communication and consistent leadership engagement

These components apply across the organization. For utilities, technical teams may need to upskill in AI-powered grid management or predictive maintenance, while field operators may need to reskill to leverage AI insights in field decision-making. In both cases, the goal is the same: build confidence, reduce friction, and create a culture where AI is a normal part of how work gets done.

Benefits of AI workforce enablement

For utilities aiming to scale AI and realize measurable operational value, workforce enablement delivers an array of key advantages:

1. Driving AI adoption and ROI

AI investments pay off only when employees use the solutions. Prioritizing workforce enablement helps ensure employees embrace their new tools in day-to-day work, which accelerates returns on AI projects.

2. Boosting productivity and innovation

When employees understand AI’s capabilities, they become partners in innovation rather than passive end-users, which often leads to new process optimizations and field-level innovations coming from the front lines.

3. Reducing resistance

AI workforce enablement programs show employees the “why” and “how” of AI, transforming skepticism into enthusiasm. By building change management practices into their strategies, organizations avoid the common pitfall of poorly planned tech rollouts that meet with pushback or confusion. For utilities with strong operational cultures, this clarity is key to trust and long-term adoption.

4. Promoting responsible use

Trained employees are more likely to use AI responsibly according to established governance policies. For example, if staff are educated on AI limitations (like understanding that a generative AI might produce plausible-sounding but incorrect answers), they can provide the necessary human oversight, which mitigates risks of misuse and helps maintain compliance and quality standards.

These outcomes don’t happen by default. They result from deliberate investment in people.

Strategies for workforce-centered AI adoption in utilities

Ensuring that people are ready to use AI solutions—and use them well—requires a coordinated, people-first approach. For utilities, this includes aligning AI adoption strategies with safety, regulatory, and reliability priorities.

Key strategies include:

• Start with a workforce readiness assessment: Assessing preparedness before rollout surfaces gaps in skills, understanding, and mindset, allowing organizations to tailor support where it’s needed most.
• Tailor training to roles and functions: Different teams—such as customer support, HR, and field operations—require different learning paths based on how AI fits into their workflows.
• Establish staff engagement channels: Office hours, a champions network, and other channels provide staff with continuous opportunities to voice concerns and get questions answered.
• Encourage hands-on experimentation: Giving teams opportunities to explore AI tools in low-risk settings helps build confidence and fluency.
• Support adoption with clear playbooks and defined metrics: These tools help teams stay aligned and reinforce long-term behavioral change.
• Establish feedback loops: Gathering regular input from users enables continuous improvement in training and adoption strategies.
• Address concerns directly: Many employees worry that AI will replace them. Effective enablement reframes AI as a collaborator, augmenting human skills rather than replacing them.

People-first AI delivers lasting value for utilities

AI solutions may transform industries, but their impact on utilities often depends on people. A workforce that’s confident and capable in using AI is the key to translating potential into performance.

Embedding workforce enablement into an AI strategy helps utilities move faster, innovate more effectively, and sustain progress. With the right support, teams can adopt new tools, adapt to evolving roles, and create long-term value from their AI investments.

This piece was created with the assistance of generative AI tools and was edited by the Logic20/20 content team for clarity and accuracy.

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About the Author

Claire Raskob is a Manager in Logic20/20’s Strategy & Operations practice. Claire specializes in driving the successful development and adoption of new processes and technologies, with a strong focus on AI and automation. She has experience implementing large-scale projects that promote efficiency and lower compliance risk in complex regulatory environments. 

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