Today, learning experts Nazaré, part of Inizio Engage, in collaboration with creative employee experience consultancy Forty1, have launched the AI Academy, a new upskilling and adoption program designed to help businesses move employees beyond experimentation and embed AI into everyday work.
With organizations spending $1.89M1 on average on AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot, many organizations are struggling to translate investment into impact. Employees are often left to self-teach and ‘play’ with AI, leading to inconsistent usage, compliance risks and missed opportunities.
AI Academy has been developed, using behavioral science insights and over 20 years of workplace learning experience, to close this gap between building AI skills and lasting leadership and employee behavior change and adoption.
“Google’s recent research found 65% of the UK population uses AI tools, but only 25% feel they are extracting significant value reinforcing how important confident upskilling and adoption is.” said Shawn Jordan, Director of AI and Augmented Learning Strategy at Nazaré.
The program has already been piloted, engaging around 700 employees and generating 44 real-world AI use cases across business teams. Results included employees' confidence in using GenAI increasing from 60% to 88% and 73% of leaders feeling equipped to lead AI-related conversations.
Unlike traditional training programs, AI Academy brings together learning, real-world application and employee engagement into a single, scalable solution.
The program is structured across three pathways:
- Learn – foundational AI skills for all employees
- Explore – hands-on experimentation and use case development
- Speak – leadership enablement for responsible AI adoption
Crucially, the program is delivered in partnership with Forty1, ensuring that learning translates into meaningful changes in mindsets and how people work.
Responsible AI use is embedded throughout the program, with a focus on practical decision-making, risk awareness and human oversight, so teams can apply AI confidently and appropriately in their day-to-day roles.
Charlotte Morris, Managing Director at Nazaré said “We understand how people learn and that’s what’s often missing from the AI conversation. The pace of change has outstripped confidence, but the real challenge isn’t access to tools, it’s building the judgement and behaviors that turn them into meaningful impact. That’s what this academy is designed to do.”
“We’re seeing huge investment in AI, but far less confidence when it comes to actually using it day to day,” commented Shawn Jordan, Director of AI and Augmented Learning Strategy at Nazaré. “We built the AI Academy to change that. It’s about giving people the confidence, the guardrails and the hands-on experience to put AI to work in a way that’s practical, responsible and genuinely valuable.”
Hillary Brown, Managing Director at Forty1 added: “AI adoption isn’t something you can mandate. It happens when people understand it, trust it and see how it fits into their work. That’s where engagement becomes critical.”
“We’re excited to have partnered on AI Academy to help organizations move beyond awareness into real behavior change, so AI becomes part of how work gets done, not just something people are told to use.”
AI Academy is designed as a flexible, client-ready solution that can be tailored to different industries, roles and levels of AI maturity, including highly regulated environments.
The launch comes at a time when organizations are under increasing pressure to unlock value from AI investments while ensuring responsible and compliant use.
“This is a real shift in how organizations need to think about AI,” added Jordan.“It’s no longer about access to tools. It’s about what people actually do with them. That’s the gap we’re here to close.”
AI Academy is now available globally. Further information can be found at https://nazarelearning.com/ai-academy/
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1. Gartner Inc. Walking the Golden Path to Value: 2025 IT Symposium/Xpo Keynote Insights.
About Nazare:
Nazaré, part of Inizio Engage, creates learning experiences that inspire an immediate and lasting change in performance. Bringing together experts in learning, capability and life sciences, Nazaré transforms the behavior of your people and the success of your business through the powerful combination of science, creativity, and technology.
www.nazarelearning.com
About Forty1
Using science, creativity and technology, Forty1 (part of Inizio Engage) creates human advantage by shaping the mindsets and behaviors that drive performance.
www.forty1.com
About Inizio Engage
Inizio Engage is a global strategic, commercial and creative engagement partner that specializes in healthcare. Combining a unique mix of consultation, creation and activation expertise with the latest technology, they design and deliver tailored solutions that inspire lasting change. Inizio Engage have brought together a group of more than 6,000 experts, working in more than 20 countries. A passionate, diverse team with global reach and local knowledge. Together, they partner with clients to challenge conventional thinking to empower people to make better health decisions and enhance treatment outcomes across the globe
