Organisations have invested heavily in AI. Tools have been rolled out, access has been granted, and expectations are high: productivity should be improving.
And yet… for many, it isn’t.
Recent research suggests that despite widespread adoption, AI is still having little measurable impact on productivity, a growing gap referred to as the AI productivity paradox.
As economist Torsten Slok puts it, “the value creation is not the product, but how generative AI is used and implemented in different sectors in the economy.”
Which raises an uncomfortable question… are we approaching this the wrong way?
Because right now, many organisations are still treating AI like an IT rollout: something to deploy, rather than something people need to learn, practise, and build confidence in over time.
Should we buy lots of AI tool licenses, tell the team to “go forth and use AI” and then just hope for the best? The short answer is, “absolutely not”!
In reality, AI adoption is far less about access, and far more about behaviour.
And behaviour doesn’t change through one-off training sessions or generalised content. It changes through personalised, continuous AI learning, where people are supported over time, guided according to their existing skills and interests, and able to apply what they’re learning in their day-to-day work.
The Problem with One-Size-Fits-All, Intermittent Training
If AI adoption is a behaviour change challenge, then it’s no surprise that generalised training isn’t quite cutting it.
Because people don’t all show up in the same place.
Some are curious. Some are cautious. Some have already been experimenting. And some are still wondering what all the fuss is about.
Yet the response is often… the same slide deck, the same session, delivered to everyone, all at once.
It’s a bit like handing out some snazzy trainers and expecting everyone to suddenly run at the same pace.
But shoes aren’t what make the difference (despite firmly believing my Nike trainers made me run faster than everyone else at school).
The gap between a personal best and just making it to the end? That comes down to the time invested in training.
And the same applies here.
For AI learning to work, it has to meet people where they are…
Not bore those ready to move faster, or overwhelm those just getting started. And it has to be continuous, something people invest in over time, until it becomes second nature.
What Does Personalised, Continuous AI Learning Look Like in Practice?
If AI adoption is about building confidence over time, then the way we support people needs to reflect that.
Not more content.
Not longer webinars or workshops.
Not another one-off session that everyone forgets by next Tuesday.
Something more considered.
Something ongoing.
Something that actually meets people where they are.
Now, let’s take you on a journey…
Imagine knowing exactly how to make AI work for you – in your role, in your day-to-day work.
No guessing. No endless scrolling through content that may or may not be relevant. Just clarity.
Imagine being told:
- Exactly where to start
- What actually matters for your role
- Which skills will move the needle fastest
- Which AI tools are worth your time
From there, imagine getting:
✨ A bespoke 3-month learning plan
✨ Tailored content built around your role and goals
✨ A clear, evolving “here’s what to focus on next” path
✨ Focused, practical, high-impact content that can be applied straight away
And here’s where it gets interesting…
Now imagine every single person in your organisation having access to that same personalised experience – whether there are 10 of you or 10,000.
No one-size-fits-all.
No wasted time.
No sitting through sessions thinking “this has nothing to do with my job.”
Just the right learning, for the right people, at the right time.
…Now what if we told you it’s real and we’ve built it?! 😮
Introducing Solvaa’s Digital Academy Framework!
Our framework isn’t about “training everybody once” and calling it a day.
It’s about creating a culture of personalised, continuous learning and adoption, where people build confidence, try things out in real work, and gradually get better over time.
Because if AI is going to become part of everyday work, then learning needs to feel like part of everyday work too.
Why Personalised, Continuous AI Learning Works
Shifting away from one-size-fits-all training and embracing personalised, continuous AI learning works because it aligns with how people actually learn, and what drives real adoption.
Right now, most organisations are still relying on one-off training, even though we know it doesn’t stick. The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve shows that people forget around 50% of new information within an hour, and up to 90% within a month if it isn’t reinforced.
Attention spans are also shrinking. Studies found that in 2003, people focused on a single screen for an average of two and a half minutes. By 2012, that dropped to just 75 seconds. Today, it’s down to only 47 seconds.
So how much of a non-interactive one-hour webinar truly sticks?
That’s why we design learning differently, by breaking content into focused 7 – 15 minute sessions, enriched with interactive elements. This results in training that holds attention, improves retention, and actually makes an impact.
When learning isn’t structured, impactful or relevant, employees spend valuable time guessing, searching, or interrupting colleagues for answers and solutions – time that could be saved with clear, role-specific guidance.
Because that time adds up, and it can have a big impact on your bottom line.
Research from the Association for Talent Development (ATD) shows that companies investing in comprehensive, structured training programs see up to 218% higher income per employee than those that don’t.
People don’t need to be bamboozled with irrelevant information.
They need learning that’s relevant, timely, and applied in the context of their actual work.
That’s why Solvaa’s Digital Academy Framework approach works.
When people know exactly where to start, they’re far more likely to begin.
When learning is tailored to their role, it feels useful… not theoretical.
And when they can apply it immediately, it sticks.
From AI Access to AI Impact
The AI productivity paradox isn’t a mystery.
Organisations have the tools.
People have access.
But the real impact is still lagging behind.
Because the value of AI doesn’t come from having it, it comes from how people use it.
And that’s not something you can roll out.
It’s something you have to build, brick by brick.
The organisations that see real returns won’t be the ones with the most advanced tools, but the ones that invest in their people – helping them build confidence, develop practical skills, and apply AI in the flow of their everyday work.
Solvaa’s Digital Academy Framework gives organisations the chance to provide each employee a personalised learning journey designed for how they work, what they need, and how they want to grow.
This creates a consistent approach to AI capability across your wider organisation, whilst still allowing learning to be tailored by role, confidence and experience.
Rather than just giving people access to static libraries of videos, it would combine learning with:
- Regular assessments to understand the learner’s needs and develop a personalised learning journey
- Pre-defined learning journeys based on role, seniority, skill level and interest
- Access to 2 – 3 short lessons (of 7 – 15 minutes maximum), requiring up to 1 hour commitment per week for learning material and practical exercises
- Interactive elements such as digital games, quizzes and AI learning assistants
- Pause points asking people to reflect or apply what they have learned
- Practical scenarios relevant to different roles
- Role-specific content and more advanced technical content
Because AI isn’t a one-off initiative.
It’s a capability.
And capabilities aren’t delivered.
They’re developed through personalised, continuous AI learning.
If you’d like to explore the impact our framework could have on your business, click here to book a call. Or, if you’d prefer to jump straight in, you can take one of the first steps today by completing our Company AI Readiness Assessment.
Solvaa: Strategy, Solutions, Support, Education
UK-based Solvaa® is a systems, process and automation consultancy specialising in improving business workflows. Solvaa® works with SMEs worldwide to implement digital tools, better processes, use business process automation and generative AI to boost productivity, enhance lead management, and remove unnecessary time, costs and hassles from stretched business owners’ days.
We help you simplify and streamline existing processes, integrate your business tools to make data transfer more efficient, and automate manual tasks. Our business process automation specialists have extensive experience using multiple cloud-based business tools, including Zapier, Pipedrive CRM, SmartSuite, Xero, Google Suite, ClickUp, Asana, Airtable, Hubspot, Active Campaign, Salesforce, Mailchimp, Quickbooks and many more. We are Zapier Certified Experts, SmartSuite Certified Partners, Pipedrive Certified Partners and Xero Certified Advisors. We also educate teams about using AI in their daily roles, mindset, governance and strategy in our Solvaa AI Academy.
Solvaa® was founded in 2016 by Kelly Goss, a no-code solutions architect, business process automation specialist and author of Automate It with Zapier (first edition) and Automate It with Zapier and Generative AI (second edition).
A thought leader on business process automation and digital adoption, Kelly attended an invite-only Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the UK government at No.10 Downing Street, providing insights and recommendations on how SMEs can benefit from productivity gains by using digital technologies, automation and AI. She has also been invited to speak at the House of Lords and at many other events.
Contact us today to find out how Solvaa can help your business make big savings on operational costs and time, and significantly increase productivity.
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