Your persona
It looks like you have strong knowledge and a genuine interest in the field of AI and its application to your work. However, there’s always scope for development in this emerging field, and bringing people along on the journey with you could play a part in your next steps.
Considering how to keep abreast of trends and applications and investigating how to develop more technical capabilities could keep your skills fresh, as could learning from and with peers who have similar interests.
Playing a mentoring role to others embarking on their AI journey could be instrumental in increasing uptake and effecting change across working cultures.
Build your skills and knowledge
AI Skill development: where might you improve or expand your skills? Are there opportunities for you to take ownership of AI projects?
Propose and lead governance-compliant AI innovation projects within your department. Starting small and focussing on AI applications to improve ways of working could be a manageable place to start.
Evaluate efficacy and success. If you’re trialling the use of AI to solve a problem or increase efficiency, it can be impactful to consider how you’ll measure its impact.
Carve out time for professional development. Maybe you would like to hone in on a skill such as prompt engineering? Diarise a chunk of time each week where you can take an Apolitical course, explore community articles, or anything else that aligns with your motivations.
Create a community of practice
Share this assessment with your line manager. Discuss your outcomes and strategise which priorities might align with your departmental objectives.
Gauge your colleague’s sentiment — could you mentor and coach other people on how they might use AI responsibly to support or enhance their work?
Support the development of AI governance policies and procedures for your department. This could involve developing policies on selecting and using AI tools and technologies, as well as procedures for monitoring and mitigating the risks of using AI. What are others doing? This is a great opportunity for networking and cross-functional collaboration.
Stay on the forefront of AI advancements by actively engaging with AI research and developments. To remain updated, subscribe to AI research journals, attend AI conferences, and participate in AI innovation discussions. Perhaps you could take this one step further by distilling what you discover and sharing it in a regular email to colleagues.
AI is a hot topic on Apolitical. Take a look through the Apolitical Q&As — questions posed by members of the Apolitical community. If you feel you can support the community, consider responding to what’s been posted. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policies: Anyone familiar with government developed policies regarding employee use of AI? Any resources you could share? is the kind of question thread you might be able to contribute to.
Keep exploring
If you’re looking for inspiration for structured skill development, take a look at our Learning Plans where we have stitched together disparate educational resources into rich, diverse, cohesive and enlightening learning journeys which can have a transformative impact on both our professional and personal lives.
Our Apolitical community members have submitted many thought-provoking articles, and in an area such as AI, new content is always coming up. Keep your finger on the pulse by regularly reviewing what's out there, and consider engaging with the article creator by using the comment function.
Got something to say? Why not consider submitting an article on an area you excel in? Here's a link to the article area to get you started, and if you're interested in submitting an article here's everything you need to know to post an article.
Apolitical hosts events with thought-leaders discussing a variety of topics — including AI. Keep an eye out for what’s upcoming, and in the meantime, you can catch up on AI-centred recordings from past events, such as: An introduction to AI, algorithms and ethics in the public service.
What's next?
Not sure if this is the right persona for you? This diagnostic and its suggested outcome have been designed for illustrative purposes and may not reflect your level of awareness or competency.
Find a guide to the statements covered plus the scenario questions here: AI Self-Assessment and Scenario Summaries.
Explore the other personae using the links below:
Leadership:AI Explorer, AI Consolidator, AI Trailblazer
Non-Leadership:AI Explorer, AI Consolidator, AI Trailblazer
⬅️ Government Skills Impact Tracker | Digital and Data Skills Hub ➡️