Training hours matter. BCG found that 79% of employees receiving more than five hours of AI training become regular users, compared to 67% with less exposure. Yet only 36% of employees feel adequately trained today. The disconnect is less about awareness and more about method.
To make AI adoption stick, leaders need to turn training from an obligation into something people want to do. Play is the missing piece.
From instruction to enablement
The future of learning is moving from instruction to human enablement. That shift changes the role of HR and L&D from pushing information to creating the conditions where people can experiment safely, share discoveries, and build confidence together.
A VP at HP once described a debate at Ford Motor Company in the 1990s: should employees be allowed to access the internet at work? The parallel to AI today is obvious. The internet was the last general-purpose technology to reshape every job; AI is doing the same at two to three times the speed.
Static modules and long videos can’t keep up with that pace. You don’t learn the internet from a manual; you open a browser and explore. AI training should work the same way: structured, safe, and hands-on.
Learn by doing, not by lecturing
The most effective learning is experiential and social. The 70-20-10 model explains why: 70% of learning comes from real challenges, 20% from developmental relationships, and 10% from coursework.
Sandboxes, peer demos, and hackathons outperform one-off slide decks because they build confidence through practice. When employees can test AI on realistic tasks in a controlled environment, hesitation fades quickly. That’s the foundation of adoption.
Make enablement an imagination challenge
Most employees don’t lack tools; they lack imagination for how to use them. Leaders can spark that imagination by offering concrete examples, then giving teams space to extend them.
HubSpot shows what this looks like in practice. The company runs GrowDAI, a two-day deep dive into AI skills, and follows it with weekly peer sharing through MondAI Minute. Their people analytics team describes it this way: “Programs like GrowDAI and MondAI Minute create space for skill-building, not just adoption.” Internal hackathons and “tiger teams” reinforce the habit.
The cultural message is clear: make time to try, focus through constraints, and share what works.
Gamify the journey, not just the course
Gamification is effective when it maps progress from the first try to a sustained habit. Accenture’s GitHub Copilot rollout offers a model.
Kristine Steinman, Global IT GitHub Copilot Adoption Lead, put it simply: “Hands-on experience is crucial — without this, progress stalls.” Alexandra Ancy, Change Management Lead, added: “Our GitHub Copilot Galaxy Passport program offers a gamified journey, from training and certification to joining our Aviators Network, hackathons, and events.” Hilary Winiarz, Product Area Lead, summed up the effect: “That gamification, that excitement people get when their name is on a leaderboard, is huge.” (Microsoft case study)
By layering recognition, community, and incremental challenges, Accenture turned training into a culture of play.
Use constraints to unlock creativity
When people are told simply to “go learn AI,” progress usually stalls. A clear challenge, defined outcome, and short timebox give direction and urgency. Structure helps learning feel achievable rather than abstract.
Internal hackathons show this in practice: they compress experimentation into short sprints with clear goals and visible results. Participants describe them as “fun and engaging,” and research shows they help teams build new skills and networks that last long after the event.
Borrow from consumer learning
Consumer apps have already proven the value of play. Duolingo built its business by turning language study into a game. Their badge system drove a 116% jump in referrals, and a small progress indicator on their app icon measurably lifted daily activity. Corporate training can borrow the same mechanics: streaks for daily practice, lightweight challenges, visible progress cues, and recognition for useful contributions.
From novelty to habit
Risks remain and unsupervised play can lead to shadow adoption and early novelty can fade without rituals to sustain habits. But these are design challenges, not roadblocks. By building clear guardrails, recurring rituals, and structured peer support, People teams can turn play into real momentum.
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